Sandoz generic Ozempic approved

What happened

On 18 September 2026, Sandoz Canada said in a news release that Health Canada has granted authorization to market Sandoz Semaglutide, a generic version of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic. Semaglutide is the medicinal ingredient in Ozempic. Our generics page explains what a generic is and how Health Canada reviews one.

Sandoz said the product is approved for once-weekly treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes, to improve glycemic control (blood sugar control), alongside lifestyle changes and other diabetes medications. The release says the authorization covers three doses given by injection under the skin through two pens. One pen delivers 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg doses, and the other delivers 1 mg doses.

Health Canada’s Drug Product Database (DPD), its public list of authorized drug products, has the two pens as separate entries, each with a Drug Identification Number (DIN). The 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg pen is DIN 02571501 and the 1 mg pen is DIN 02571528. The DPD’s status history shows both as approved on 16 September 2026, two days before Sandoz’s announcement.

Sandoz also said close to 12 million semaglutide injection pens are used in Canada each year, a figure it attributes to IQVIA 2025 data it holds on file. That is Sandoz’s number, and we haven’t verified it.

What it means in Canada

Our DPD-based list on the generics page now names six generic semaglutide products from four companies: Dr. Reddy’s, Apotex, Aspen and Sandoz. They are not all copies of Ozempic. Apotex’s Sevmia, for example, is listed in Ontario as interchangeable with Wegovy.

On 3 October 2026 the DPD showed two companies’ products as marketed, meaning the company has told Health Canada the product is on sale. These are Dr. Reddy’s, marketed from 6 May 2026, and Apotex’s Apo-Semaglutide, marketed from 14 May 2026. The other four products showed as approved, not yet marketed: Sevmia, two Aspen products and Sandoz Semaglutide.

For you, that means the approval alone doesn’t put a Sandoz product on your pharmacy’s shelf. Sandoz described its launch as upcoming but gave no date.

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 its Limited Use criteria. Limited Use means the plan pays only when set conditions are met. We haven’t confirmed whether any public or private plan lists Sandoz Semaglutide. See Ontario coverage and coverage across Canada.

A separate recall of one lot

Health Canada’s recall notice RA-82679, with a recall date of 23 September 2026, concerns one lot of a different company’s generic: Apotex’s Apo-Semaglutide 4 mg pen (DIN 02568012), lot 7000636A. It is not a Sandoz product.

The notice says pens from that lot may show a 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg dose in the dose window and deliver that dose instead of the expected 1 mg dose. Health Canada classed the recall as Type II. It lists distribution in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Quebec. The notice names one lot only.

If you use an Apo-Semaglutide pen:

1. Compare the lot number on your pen with 7000636A. Your pharmacist can help you check.
2. Talk to your pharmacist or prescriber before you stop using the pen. The notice says to consult a healthcare provider before discontinuing an affected product.
3. Contact Apotex with questions, and report side effects to Health Canada, as the notice asks.

What hasn’t changed

Price. Neither the Sandoz release nor the DPD gives a price for Sandoz Semaglutide. The release calls the product a lower-cost alternative but states no amount, so we haven’t confirmed what it will cost. We haven’t checked pharmacy prices for any generic semaglutide, and our Ozempic price page lists none.

Brand supply. In a separate statement reported by Benefits and Pensions Monitor, Novo Nordisk said it maintains an established supply of Ozempic across Canada and is prioritizing a steady supply for people who choose Ozempic.

Coverage rules. Our coverage pages show each province’s current Ozempic rules as we checked them on 3 October 2026. None of them lists Sandoz Semaglutide. If you take Ozempic now, nothing in the announcement tells you to change. Talk to your prescriber or pharmacist before changing products.

What happens next

Sandoz said it is taking the necessary steps to prepare for commercialization and is developing educational materials and tools for patients and healthcare professionals. It gave no date. We’ll update our generics page when the DPD shows a change in Sandoz Semaglutide’s status.

When a generic reaches your pharmacy, ask whether your province or private plan treats it as interchangeable with the brand on your prescription. Ask for the total price, including the dispensing fee (what the pharmacy charges to fill a prescription), before you agree to fill it. See our guide to drug plans, the Ozempic price page and our providers page for ways to get a prescription.