Are GLP‑1s tax deductible in Canada?
No, not as a deduction. Prescription GLP-1 medicines such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can count toward the federal Medical Expense Tax Credit instead. The CRA counts drugs that legally need a prescription and that a pharmacist records. For 2025, you can claim expenses above 3% of net income or $2,834, whichever is less.
- Every GLP‑1 medicine is a prescription drug in Canada. A doctor, nurse practitioner or other authorized prescriber must assess you first.2
- 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.
Which costs count?
The Canada Revenue Agency lists prescription drugs that "can lawfully be obtained… only if prescribed by a medical practitioner" and are "recorded by a pharmacist".1
Every GLP‑1 medicine in Canada is a prescription drug, so a pharmacy-filled prescription meets that test.2 "Needles and syringes" count too, with a prescription.1 The CRA's wording is about how the drug is obtained; it doesn't mention the reason it was prescribed. Over-the-counter products and supplements don't count.1 Keep your pharmacy receipts.
How much can you claim?
You claim the total above a threshold: for 2025, the lesser of 3% of your net income or $2,834.3
You can choose any 12-month period ending in the tax year, and claim only the part that no insurer has paid or will pay back.3 Expenses for yourself, your spouse or partner and children under 18 go on line 33099; other dependants on line 33199.3 If a plan paid 80% of a prescription, only the 20% you paid yourself counts, by our reading of that rule. The CRA calls it the Medical Expense Tax Credit. A credit reduces the tax you owe; it doesn't reduce your income the way a deduction does.3
What does a year of medicine add up to?
At official prices, a year of pens ranges from about $1,016 for generic semaglutide to over $5,000 for Wegovy.4,5
That is 13 pens at Ontario's $78.14 for generic semaglutide, or Canada's Drug Agency's $5,066 a year for Wegovy, by our arithmetic.4,5 Pharmacy prices and fees differ. Prices are in How much is Ozempic in Canada? and How much is Mounjaro in Canada? Ask a tax professional about your own return.
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Related questions
Sources
- Canada Revenue Agency. Details of medical expenses: "Prescription drugs and medications – that can lawfully be obtained for use by the person only if prescribed by a medical practitioner. Also, the drugs or medications must be recorded by a pharmacist"; "Needles and syringes – prescription needed". Checked 12 Oct 2026. canada.ca
- 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
- Canada Revenue Agency. Lines 33099 and 33199 – Eligible medical expenses you can claim on your tax return (any 12-month period ending in the tax year; only the part not reimbursed; for 2025, expenses above the lesser of 3% of net income or $2,834; Medical Expense Tax Credit). Checked 12 Oct 2026. canada.ca
- 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
- Canada's Drug Agency (CDA-AMC). Semaglutide (Wegovy) reimbursement recommendation SR0841, July 2025 ("Reimburse with conditions" only for adults with "a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater and established CVD"; "at least a 5% reduction in BMI or total body weight" to continue after year 1; "A price reduction of 67% would be required"; "approximately $5,066 per patient per year"). canjhealthtechnol.ca
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Oct 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