Health Canada approves Ozempic to reduce kidney deterioration in people with diabetes – CTV
August 19, 2025
TORONTO — Health Canada has approved Ozempic to reduce the risk of further kidney decline among patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Between 30 and 50 per cent of people with Type 2 diabetes develop some form of chronic kidney disease.
An international clinical trial, called FLOW, showed the risk of kidneys significantly deteriorating or failing was 24 per cent lower in patients taking Ozempic compared to those taking a placebo injection.
The patients taking the drug were also less likely to die from cardiovascular disease — another condition that affects many patients with diabetes.
The study, funded by Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk, was peer-reviewed and published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year and contributed to Health Canada’s decision.
Dr. David Cherney, a nephrologist at Toronto General Hospital, helped lead the Canadian part of the trial and says the results show it’s possible to reduce the loss of kidney function before patients need dialysis or a kidney transplant.
“What my patients are scared of is dialysis — dialysis or a transplant,” said Cherney, who is also a senior scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, in an interview.
