Generic Ozempic in Canada

What a generic drug is

A generic drug is a copy of a brand-name drug, known as the reference product. It contains the same medicinal ingredient. The company that makes it must show that it delivers the same amount of medicinal ingredient as the brand. For most generics it does this with comparative bioavailability studies in healthy volunteers. Health Canada notes that some types, such as injectables, may use other testing methods.

Semaglutide is the medicinal ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, all made by Novo Nordisk. A generic semaglutide is a copy of one of those reference products, and it is approved only for the uses and form it copies.

How Health Canada reviews a generic

A company files a submission with Health Canada. Health Canada reviews it and, if the product meets its criteria for safety, efficacy and quality, authorizes it for sale and gives each strength a Drug Identification Number (DIN), the eight-digit number that identifies a product in the Drug Product Database.

Health Canada’s 29 June 2026 notice for Sevmia said it was reviewing six other generic semaglutide submissions from different companies, with more decisions expected in the coming weeks and months. Health Canada keeps monitoring the safety of authorized generics after approval.

Which generic semaglutide products are approved

The table below is our reading of the Health Canada Drug Product Database (DPD). It lists each product with its maker and status. “Marketed” means the company has told Health Canada the product is on sale. “Approved” means Health Canada has authorized it but the DPD does not show it as marketed yet.

What generic Ozempic and generic Wegovy are approved for

Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy is approved for chronic weight management. A generic copy follows its reference product.

• Generic Ozempic. Health Canada describes Apotex’s Apo-Semaglutide as a once-weekly treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes. Ontario lists both Apo-Semaglutide and Dr. Reddy’s semaglutide as interchangeable with Ozempic. We haven’t confirmed the approved use of the Sandoz and Aspen products from a Health Canada document, so we don’t state one.
• Generic Wegovy. Health Canada authorized Apotex’s Sevmia on 29 June 2026 for once-weekly chronic weight management in people aged 12 and older, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

Searches for “generic semaglutide for weight loss” can lead to compounded products, which a pharmacy mixes itself. Those are not the Health Canada-authorized generics in the table.

What generics mean for price and coverage

Health Canada’s notices on generic semaglutide say that “many generic medication are 45 to 90% cheaper than the brand name versions.” That sentence is about generics in general. It is not a price or a saving for semaglutide, and we haven’t checked pharmacy prices for generic semaglutide yet, so our price pages don’t list any.

On coverage, each province decides which products its drug plan pays for. Ontario’s formulary, the list of drugs the Ontario Drug Benefit pays for, added Apo-Semaglutide and Dr. Reddy’s semaglutide on 30 June 2026 as interchangeable with Ozempic, under the same Limited Use criteria. Limited Use means the plan pays only when specific conditions are met. See Ontario coverage for the detail and coverage across Canada for other provinces.

Ontario’s August 2026 formulary update lists Sevmia as an off-formulary interchangeable of Wegovy. That means a pharmacist can substitute it for Wegovy, but the Ontario Drug Benefit does not pay for it.

How to ask your pharmacist about a generic

1. Ask whether the pharmacy can order a Health Canada-authorized generic semaglutide, and by which product name.
2. Ask whether your province or your private plan treats that product as interchangeable with the brand on your prescription.
3. Ask for the total price, including the dispensing fee, before you agree to fill it.
4. If you take Ozempic or Wegovy now, talk to your prescriber or pharmacist before changing products.

What to do next

• See current brand prices on the Ozempic price page and the Wegovy price page.
• See what your plan pays for in our guide to drug plans.
• Compare ways to get a prescription on our providers page.