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Health Canada has approved the second generic version of brand-name Ozempic, this one manufactured by Canadian company Apotex.
The authorization comes just three days after Health Canada approved the first generic semaglutide — the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic — made by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in India.
The injectable medications are approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in adults, but Ozempic is often prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Canada is the first of the G7 countries to authorize generic semaglutide.
Apotex is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Toronto.
Catherine Thomas, the company’s vice president of global communications, said the new Apotex product should be available to Canadians within weeks.
“Our team is committed to bringing this product to market in the very near future,” Thomas told CBC News in an email. “Our goal is to have it available in the coming weeks.”
Many people without drug coverage have been eagerly waiting for generic semaglutide because the brand name original can cost hundreds of dollars a month. Depending on the dose, people can pay about $300 to $400, sometimes even more, per month.
How much cheaper generic semaglutide will be than Ozempic depends on how many generic options are approved and hit the market, say experts.
According to the pricing structure of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the first generic medication could cost 75 to 85 per cent of the brand name. Once a second medication enters the market, the price for both drops to 50 per cent.
When there are three or more generic products available in Canada, the cost would decrease to about 35 per cent of brand-name Ozempic’s price.
Apotex’s Thomas said the company is working with health insurance companies to make sure the new drug is covered.
“For most private plans, the process to include generics happens shortly after launch,” she said.
Drug shows benefits, but experts caution its use
Recent research continues to boast broad benefits for semaglutide drugs, including impacts on inflammation, arthritis and lowering the risk of major cardiac events, stroke and early death.
“That’s remarkable. There aren’t many drugs that have had that degree of study going on,” said Dr. Hertzel Gerstein, a diabetes doctor and researcher in Hamilton.
But, he also cautions their use.
“They’re not supplements, they’re not over-the-counter things,” said Gerstein, who is also the director of the Population Health Research Institute jointly run by McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
“They’re powerful drugs. They do good things. They can be taken in a wrong way, and that can cause problems and side effects.”
Before getting on a weight loss drug, he said people should speak to a health-care professional.
