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Is Apo-Semaglutide the same as Ozempic?

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 20269 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

It has the same active ingredient, semaglutide, at the same doses, and Health Canada approved it on 1 May 2026 as a generic of Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. It isn't identical. Apo-Semaglutide is made by chemical synthesis, Ozempic in yeast. Its approval covers blood sugar control but not Ozempic's heart and kidney indications.

Before you go further
  • Every GLP‑1 medicine is a prescription drug in Canada. A doctor, nurse practitioner or other authorized prescriber must assess you first.1
  • Prices here are official list or formulary prices, with the date we checked them. We never quote a pharmacy's, clinic's or savings card's price, and we don't name or rank sellers.
  • Canadian law bans advertising a drug to the public as a treatment for obesity or diabetes. This page is information, not an ad, and nothing here is for sale. The risks are in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.

What is the same?

Apo-Semaglutide gives the same weekly semaglutide doses as Ozempic, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg, for adults with type 2 diabetes.2

Health Canada says generic semaglutide is "pharmaceutically equivalent to the brand name biologic drug", and its review checks that differences don't affect safety, efficacy or quality.3,4 Ontario and Alberta list it as interchangeable with Ozempic, so a pharmacist may substitute it unless your prescriber says otherwise.5,6,7

What is different?

How it's made, what it's approved for, the pens, and the storage limits.2,8

  • Made differently. Apo-Semaglutide is "produced by solid-phase synthetic chemistry"; Ozempic by "recombinant DNA technology" in yeast.2,8
  • Narrower approval. It is approved "to improve glycemic control". Ozempic is also approved to lower heart and kidney risk in some people with type 2 diabetes.2,8
  • Pens. A pen holding 2 mg gives 0.25 or 0.5 mg doses, and a pen holding 4 mg gives 1 mg doses. There is no pen for a 2 mg weekly dose.2
  • Storage after first use. 8 weeks at 15 to 30 °C or in the fridge; Ozempic's says below 30 °C or in the fridge.2,8

Its leaflet says "Do not count the pen clicks"; use the dose counter instead.2 Ask your pharmacist to show you a new pen.

Has Apo-Semaglutide been recalled?

One lot was, on 27 August 2026: lot 7000599A of the pen holding 2 mg (DIN 02568020) might show and give a 2 mg dose instead of 0.25 or 0.5 mg.9

Health Canada advised talking to your healthcare provider before stopping. Check your box against Was my Dr. Reddy's semaglutide pen recalled?, which lists every August 2026 lot. Other generics are in Is there a generic Ozempic in Canada?

RisksThe risks, in brief
  • Stomach effects are very common. In the diabetes trials on the Canadian Ozempic monograph, 17 in 100 people on 0.5 mg and 20 in 100 on 1 mg felt sick (nausea), against 6 in 100 on comparison treatments.8
  • Low blood sugar can happen when semaglutide is taken with a sulfonylurea, such as gliclazide, or with insulin.8
  • Diabetic eye disease. In one trial, eye complications of diabetes occurred in 3.0 in 100 people on Ozempic and 1.8 in 100 on placebo.8
  • Who shouldn't take it. Not for anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2. Stop it at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy.8
Full detail in Guide 5: Side effects and risks →

Read the full picture

Related questions

Is there a generic Ozempic in Canada? Was my Dr. Reddy's semaglutide pen recalled? How much is Ozempic in Canada without insurance? How long can Ozempic be out of the fridge?
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Sources

  1. Health Canada. Drug Product Database: product records and marketing status for semaglutide and tirzepatide products (for example Ozempic DIN 02471469 "Marketed"; Sevmia DIN 02569582 "Approved", not marketed; Zepbound first marketed 9 July 2025). Searched 12 Oct 2026. health-products.canada.ca
  2. Apotex. Apo-Semaglutide Injection Product Monograph, authorized 1 May 2026 ("Produced by solid-phase synthetic chemistry"; pens of 2 mg (0.25 or 0.5 mg doses) and 4 mg (1 mg doses); indicated "to improve glycemic control" in adults with type 2 diabetes; reference product Ozempic; after first use 8 weeks at 15–30 °C or in the fridge; "Do not count the pen clicks"). pdf.hres.ca (PDF)
  3. Health Canada. Canada becomes the first G7 country to approve a generic version of semaglutide. News release, 28 Apr 2026 (Dr. Reddy's, "a generic version of the brand name drug Ozempic", for adults with type 2 diabetes; generics are "pharmaceutically equivalent to the brand name biologic drug"; "many generic medication are 45 to 90% cheaper"). canada.ca
  4. Health Canada. Canada approves second generic semaglutide, the first G7 country to do so. News release, 1 May 2026 (Apotex; "a generic version of the brand name drug Ozempic"). canada.ca
  5. Ontario Ministry of Health. Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary: semaglutide pens (Ozempic $227.94 a pen with the plan paying $78.141; generic semaglutide $78.141 a pen, interchangeable, Limited Use; Sevmia $325.048 a pen, off-formulary interchangeable); tirzepatide not listed. Checked 12 Oct 2026. formulary.health.gov.on.ca
  6. Alberta Blue Cross. Pharmacy Benefact 1330, July 2026 (generic semaglutide added to the Alberta Drug Benefit List from 1 Jul 2026, "interchangeable (IC) with Ozempic"; "As of July 10, 2026, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. reported a shortage of its generic semaglutide products resulting from a manufacturing disruption"). ab.bluecross.ca (PDF)
  7. Global News / The Canadian Press. Generic semaglutide to hit Canadian pharmacies this week at lower cost, 20 May 2026 (Apotex: "approximately one-third the price" of Ozempic; Ozempic and Wegovy "hundreds of dollars a month… in some cases more than $450"; "availability may vary across regions"; pharmacists may substitute "in accordance with existing provincial substitution rules"). globalnews.ca
  8. Novo Nordisk Canada. Ozempic (semaglutide injection) Product Monograph, 13 Jul 2026 (made "by recombinant DNA technology in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"; storage: before first use 2–8 °C, after first use 8 weeks below 30 °C or refrigerated, "Do not freeze… do not use… if it has been frozen", keep the cap on; adverse reactions Table 2: nausea 17.0% on 0.5 mg and 19.9% on 1 mg vs 6.3% on comparator; low blood sugar with a sulfonylurea or insulin; retinopathy complications 3.0% vs 1.8%; stop at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy; disposal and Canada Vigilance wording). pdf.hres.ca (PDF)
  9. Health Canada. Health product recall: Apo-Semaglutide Injection: incorrect dose display, published 27 Aug 2026 (DIN 02568020, lot 7000599A: may "display a 2 mg dose… and deliver a 2 mg dose instead of the expected 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg dose"). recalls-rappels.canada.ca

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 12 Oct 2026. Prices are official list or formulary prices, never a seller's, savings-card or coupon price, and we don't name or rank sellers. Availability, coverage and recall facts are dated because they change. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It's general information, not medical advice, and not an advertisement for any medicine. Talk to a doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write