Does RAMQ cover Ozempic?
L'Ozempic est-il remboursé par la RAMQ?
Yes, for type 2 diabetes only. Quebec's public plan lists Ozempic (semaglutide) as an exception drug (médicament d'exception), with metformin, when a sulfonylurea can't be used or hasn't worked. RAMQ says type 2 diabetes is the only use it reimburses, so it doesn't pay for weight loss.
- 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 does "médicament d'exception" mean for Ozempic?
It means RAMQ pays only for a recognized use: for Ozempic, type 2 diabetes treated with metformin when a sulfonylurea is contraindicated, not tolerated or ineffective.2
In French, Diabète Québec's March 2026 table puts it as "Rx d'exception: en association avec la MET, lorsqu'une SU est contre-indiquée, non tolérée ou inefficace".2 In 2024 RAMQ told The Canadian Press: "La seule indication permettant un remboursement par le régime public est d'être atteint de diabète de type 2" (the only use it reimburses is type 2 diabetes), along with INESSS's other conditions.3 We couldn't open RAMQ's own site, so these criteria come from those two sources.
Who is covered by RAMQ, and who by a group plan?
In Quebec, drug insurance is compulsory: the province says it is the only one where "toute la population est obligatoirement couverte".4
If you can join a private group plan (assurance collective) through work or a spouse, you must join it for drug coverage ("vous devez obligatoirement y adhérer"); otherwise you are covered by the public plan, the régime public d'assurance médicaments.5,4 The public plan charges a yearly premium (prime), a monthly deductible (franchise) and coinsurance (coassurance) at the pharmacy.4 Group plans set their own rules for Ozempic, so ask your insurer.
In 2024 The Canadian Press reported that RAMQ had paid more than $280 million for Ozempic since 2019. RAMQ data also showed that in 2023 more than 61,000 people got an Ozempic prescription for weight loss that the plan didn't cover.3 In Canada, Ozempic is approved only for type 2 diabetes, so that use is off-label.8
What about Wegovy, Mounjaro and the savings card?
RAMQ doesn't list Mounjaro, and no public plan covers Wegovy for weight management, as of 12 October 2026.2,6
Diabète Québec lists Mounjaro under private insurance only ("Ass. privées").2 Novo Nordisk's Ozempic savings card, launched in May 2026, excludes Quebec.7 For the rest of Canada, see Does OHIP cover Ozempic? and Is Wegovy covered in Canada?
Key French terms
The French terms used in Quebec's drug plans and on this page, with their meaning in English.
| En français | In English |
|---|---|
| médicament d'exception | exception drug: paid only for a recognized use |
| Liste des médicaments | RAMQ's list of covered drugs |
| régime public d'assurance médicaments | Quebec's public drug plan |
| assurance collective | group (workplace) insurance plan |
| franchise / coassurance / prime | deductible / coinsurance / premium |
| diabète de type 2 (DT2) | type 2 diabetes |
- 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
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
- Diabète Québec. Antihyperglycemic drugs for type 2 diabetes (tableau des antihyperglycémiants), March 2026, English and French editions (RAMQ: Ozempic "Exception drugs / Rx d'exception… In association with MET, where a SU is contraindicated, not tolerated or ineffective"; Mounjaro "Private ins." only, not on the RAMQ list; NIHB "Limited Use"). Secondary source: the RAMQ website refused our requests. diabete.qc.ca (EN, PDF) · FR
- La Presse Canadienne via Noovo Info. L'État québécois a remboursé à ce jour plus de 280 millions $ pour l'Ozempic, 11 Apr 2024 (RAMQ: "La seule indication permettant un remboursement par le régime public est d'être atteint de diabète de type 2 et de respecter aussi les autres conditions de remboursement élaborés par l'INESSS"). noovo.info
- Gouvernement du Québec. Régime public d'assurance médicaments: modification de la participation financière de certains assurés, 29 Dec 2020 (the public plan charges a yearly premium, a monthly deductible (franchise) and coinsurance (coassurance); "le Québec est la seule province canadienne où toute la population est obligatoirement couverte par un régime d'assurance médicaments"). quebec.ca
- Éducaloi. Le régime public d'assurance médicaments ("si un régime privé vous est offert, vous devez obligatoirement y adhérer pour la portion qui couvre les médicaments"). Checked 12 Oct 2026. educaloi.qc.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)
- Global News. Novo Nordisk will slash Ozempic price for some, 'aligning' with generics, 26 May 2026 (a savings card for people without public or private coverage, "excluding Quebec"; "only a small number of private insurers cover the use of the drugs for weight management"). globalnews.ca
- 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