Does OHIP cover Ozempic?
Not OHIP itself. Prescriptions in Ontario are covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit program, for people who qualify, such as those 65 and over or 24 and under without private insurance. It covers Ozempic (semaglutide) for type 2 diabetes when metformin isn't enough, and not for weight loss, as of 12 October 2026.
- 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.
Who gets drug coverage in Ontario?
The Ontario Drug Benefit program covers people aged 65 and over, people 24 and under with no private plan (through OHIP+), and some others.2
The others are people on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, people in long-term care, and people enrolled in the Trillium Drug Program.2 Seniors pay a yearly deductible of $100 and up to $6.11 per prescription, unless they qualify for the lower Seniors Co-Payment Program.2
What are the rules for Ozempic?
Ozempic is a "Limited Use" drug: for adults with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar isn't controlled on the highest metformin dose they can take, or who can't take metformin.3
Your prescriber writes a Limited Use code on the prescription. It isn't funded together with another GLP‑1 medicine or a DPP‑4 inhibitor, and once approved, the authorization has no end date.3 Generic semaglutide is listed as interchangeable. The plan pays $78.14 a pen, the generic price, even when Ozempic itself is dispensed; Ozempic's listed price is $227.94.4 A pharmacist can substitute the generic under provincial rules unless your prescriber has said not to, or there is a clinical reason you need the brand.5
Is Ozempic covered for weight loss?
No. The Ontario plan funds semaglutide only for type 2 diabetes. It lists Wegovy only as off-formulary, and doesn't list tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound) at all.4
Health Canada approves Ozempic only for type 2 diabetes, so prescribing it for weight is off-label, a prescriber's own decision.7 No province covers any GLP‑1 medicine for weight management, as of 12 October 2026. Price talks for Wegovy ended without agreement in December 2025.6 See Is Wegovy covered in Canada? If you have a work plan, ask your insurer in writing what it covers. Other provinces: BC PharmaCare and RAMQ in Quebec. The full picture is in Guide 6.
- 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.7
- Low blood sugar can happen when semaglutide is taken with a sulfonylurea, such as gliclazide, or with insulin.7
- 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.7
- 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.7
Read the full picture
Related questions
Sources
- 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
- Government of Ontario. Get coverage for prescription drugs (who qualifies for the Ontario Drug Benefit program: 65 and over; 24 and under without private insurance, through OHIP+; Ontario Works or ODSP; long-term care; Trillium Drug Program; seniors' $100 deductible and up to $6.11 per prescription). Checked 12 Oct 2026. ontario.ca
- Ontario Ministry of Health. Executive Officer Notice, 26 Jan 2024: Ozempic Limited Use criteria ("adult patients with type 2 diabetes when adequate glycemic control is not achieved on the maximum tolerated dose of metformin or where metformin is contraindicated or inappropriate"; not funded with another GLP-1 RA or a DPP-4 inhibitor; "LU Authorization Period: indefinite"). ontario.ca (PDF)
- 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
- 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
- BC PharmaCare. Drug coverage decision: semaglutide (Wegovy), 18 Dec 2025 ("Non-benefit"; Novo Nordisk "would no longer be seeking public coverage of Wegovy in Canada"; pCPA negotiations concluded without agreement on 1 Dec 2025). gov.bc.ca (PDF)
- 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)
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