Getting a prescription in Canada, and the medicines

Who can prescribe a GLP-1 in Canada?

Any licensed prescriber, within their province's rules. You don't need a specialist.

All GLP-1 medicines are on Health Canada's prescription schedule.¹ Physicians, including family doctors, and nurse practitioners prescribe them. Clinicians who gave input to Canada's Drug Agency said any provider with experience managing obesity could prescribe semaglutide, and that this shouldn't be limited to specialists.²

Pharmacists. In Alberta, pharmacists with additional prescribing authorization (about two-thirds of the province's clinical pharmacists at the end of 2025) can prescribe to start, continue or stop medicines. We found no specific guidance on whether they start GLP-1s for weight.³ Rules differ by province. See can a pharmacist prescribe Ozempic?

Approved use matters. For weight management, Health Canada has approved Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda and Sevmia (a generic of Wegovy). Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved for type 2 diabetes; using them for weight is off-label (outside the approved use), which a prescriber may do on their own judgment.^1,8

Who pays: public plans and private insurance

Each province and territory runs its own drug plan. As of 12 Oct 2026, they cover semaglutide for type 2 diabetes with conditions, and no GLP-1 for weight management.^4,5

• For type 2 diabetes. Ontario, BC, Alberta, Quebec and the federal NIHB program (for First Nations and Inuit) cover semaglutide, usually after metformin, with forms or criteria. Generic semaglutide is listed as interchangeable in Ontario and Alberta.^5,6,9,10 We found no province that covers tirzepatide (Mounjaro).^6,10
• For weight management. Canada's Drug Agency recommended funding Wegovy only for people with established heart disease, at a much lower price. Price talks ended without agreement in December 2025, and Novo Nordisk said it would no longer seek public coverage.^4,12
• In Ontario, drug coverage comes through the Ontario Drug Benefit program, for people who qualify (for example, people 65 and over, those under 25 without private coverage through OHIP+, and people on social assistance).¹³
• In Quebec, drug insurance is mandatory: if you can join a group plan through work (assurance collective), you must; otherwise RAMQ's public plan (régime public d'assurance médicaments) covers you.¹⁴ RAMQ lists Ozempic as an exception drug (médicament d'exception) for type 2 diabetes.¹⁰
• Private insurance. Only a small number of private insurers cover these medicines for weight management, often with a prior authorization form, BMI rules or step therapy.^15,16

Guide 4 has the plan-by-plan table. See also does your province cover Ozempic? and private insurance and GLP-1s.

What will I pay, and can I claim it on my taxes?

It depends on your plan. If no plan covers it, you pay the pharmacy's price in full. Prescription medicines can count toward the federal Medical Expense Tax Credit.

• Ask before you fill it. Your pharmacist can tell you what your public plan or insurer will pay, and whether a form is needed first.
• Tax credit. The Canada Revenue Agency counts prescription drugs that can lawfully be obtained only with a prescription, and that a pharmacist records, as eligible medical expenses. Needles and syringes count too, with a prescription.¹⁷ It's a non-refundable tax credit, not a deduction. See claiming GLP-1s on your taxes.
• Savings cards and promotions. Some makers and services offer cards or promotional prices. We don't show those, because they aren't the list price and the terms change.

What rules apply to online care?

Virtual care is allowed, but the rules are the same as in person. Doctors are licensed by province, and so are pharmacies.

Ontario's College of Physicians and Surgeons, for example, says doctors giving virtual care:¹¹

• Must meet the same standard of care as in person, including when prescribing drugs.¹¹
• Must consider whether a physical examination is needed.¹¹
• Must follow the licensing rules of the province you're in, if they see you from another province.¹¹

We didn't check every province's college one by one, so ask your own college or the service if you're unsure. We found no Canadian enforcement action against a named GLP-1 online service; Health Canada's warnings so far have been about fake, unauthorized and compounded products.^20,21,23 See getting a GLP-1 prescription online in Canada.

How do I check a pharmacy?

Pharmacies are licensed by your province's pharmacy regulator. Health Canada's own advice is simple: buy prescription drugs only from a licensed pharmacy, and check the DIN.²⁰

1. Look the pharmacy up on your province's regulator website. In Ontario, every pharmacy must be licensed by the Ontario College of Pharmacists, which has a public register.²⁴ Other provinces have their own regulators, such as the Alberta College of Pharmacy and the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec.²⁵
2. Check the name and address match what the pharmacy shows on its website.
3. Check the DIN. Every approved product has an 8-digit Drug Identification Number on the label. Look it up in Health Canada's Drug Product Database.²⁰

What should a proper consultation include?

Questions about your health and medicines, your weight and waist checked properly, and a plan for follow-up.

There's no single official checklist for a GLP-1 consultation. This list brings together what the Canadian guideline, the virtual-care standard and the medicines' labels say a prescriber should check.^8,11,26

• Your history. Medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, a rare inherited condition) in you or your family rules these medicines out.⁸ Past pancreatitis or gallstones matter too.²⁶
• Your other medicines. Insulin, or diabetes tablets like gliclazide, can cause low sugar (hypos) when combined with a GLP-1.²⁶ The dose of those may need to drop.
• Your weight and waist, checked. The guideline asks doctors to use waist size and ethnicity-specific measures as well as BMI.⁸ Guide 1 explains the numbers.
• Eyes, if you have diabetes. The label warns about worse eye disease (retinopathy) in people who already have it.²⁶
• Pregnancy and contraception. Stop semaglutide at least 2 months, and tirzepatide at least 1 month, before a planned pregnancy. On tirzepatide, switch from the pill to another method or add a condom for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase.⁸
• Any surgery or procedure coming up. These medicines slow how fast the stomach empties, so food can still be there under anesthesia. Tell the team doing the procedure that you take one.^8,26
• Your coverage. Whether your plan pays, and whether a prior authorization form is needed.¹⁶
• A follow-up plan. Who you contact with side effects, and regular reviews of how it's working against your health goals.⁸

What are the red flags with a pharmacy, clinic or app?

Walk away if you can't check who they are, if nobody looks at your health properly, or if the product isn't a Health Canada-approved medicine.

• Not a licensed pharmacyHealth Canada says to buy prescription drugs only from a licensed pharmacy.²⁰
  Shows its name and address, and both check out with the provincial regulator.
• No real assessmentOnline care must meet the same standard as in person, including considering whether you need an exam.¹¹
  Takes a full history, checks your measurements, and asks to share with your family doctor.
• "Research peptides" or "no prescription needed"Health Canada has warned that injectable "peptides" such as tirzepatide and retatrutide sold online are illegal.²¹
  Supplies only an approved product with a DIN, against a prescription.²⁰
• A "compounded" versionHealth Canada doesn't allow routine compounding of semaglutide, and the Canadian guideline recommends against compounded products.^23,8
  A Health Canada-approved pen or tablet in its sealed pack.
• Ads promising weight loss with a named drugAdvertising a drug to the public as a treatment for obesity or diabetes is banned in Canada.¹⁸
  Offers a consultation first; the medicine is discussed only after it.

Which GLP-1 medicines are approved in Canada, and for what?

Four medicines. Semaglutide and tirzepatide each have a diabetes brand and a weight brand; liraglutide has both; dulaglutide is for type 2 diabetes only. Status checked 12 Oct 2026.

The medicine is what works in your body; the brand is the name on the box. Acetaminophen is a medicine; Tylenol is a brand of it. One medicine can have several brands, each approved for different uses.¹

Diabetes approved for type 2 diabetes Weight approved for weight management

Not approved in Canada as of 12 Oct 2026: orforglipron, retatrutide, CagriSema and the higher-dose Wegovy tablet.¹

Medicine pages: Semaglutide Tirzepatide Liraglutide Dulaglutide

Brand or generic: what's the difference?

A generic is the same medicine made by another company once patents and data protection end. In April 2026, Canada became the first G7 country to approve a generic semaglutide.³¹

Semaglutide's data protection in Canada ended on 4 January 2026, and the main patent had already lapsed.³² Health Canada's Drug Product Database showed this on 12 Oct 2026 (alphabetical by maker, not a ranking):²⁹

Novo Nordisk has also registered two more brands of its own semaglutide, Plosbrio and Poviztra; both were approved but not on sale.²⁹

• Supply has been patchy. Generics reached pharmacies in May 2026, but availability varied by region, and Dr. Reddy's reported a shortage from a manufacturing problem in July 2026.^33,9
• Some lots were recalled in August 2026. See recalls below.²²
• Sevmia's single 1 mg pen can't on its own cover Wegovy's lower starting steps (0.25 and 0.5 mg) or the 1.7 and 2.4 mg doses. That's our reading of the pen description, not a statement from the maker.^34,26

Switching between brands is a decision for you, your prescriber and your pharmacist. In Ontario and Alberta, generic semaglutide is listed as interchangeable with Ozempic, so a pharmacist may substitute it, and the public plan pays the generic price.^6,9 Pens from different makers can look and work differently, so ask to be shown how to use a new one. See generic semaglutide in Canada and switching from Ozempic to a generic.

Pen or tablet: does it matter?

GLP-1 injections in Canada come in pens that measure the dose for you. The only GLP-1 tablet, Rybelsus, is for type 2 diabetes and needs a strict routine.

PenPre-filled, dose setA Wegovy FlexTouch, an Ozempic pen and a Zepbound KwikPen each hold 4 weekly doses; Wegovy also comes as a single-use pen.^26,7,30 Never share a pen, even with a new needle.²⁷

TabletDaily, on an empty stomachRybelsus: swallow whole on an empty stomach with no more than 120 mL (half a glass) of water, then wait at least 30 minutes before food, drink or other tablets.²⁸

Fakes, recalls and storage

Fake and unauthorized GLP-1s are sold in Canada, and real products are sometimes recalled. Only use a pack from a licensed pharmacy, against your prescription.²⁰

Fakes. Health Canada warns that fake or unauthorized Ozempic and Mounjaro are sold in stores and online, some with misused official logos and fake endorsements (advisory updated January 2026).²⁰ In August 2025 it warned that 41 unauthorized injectable "peptides", including tirzepatide and retatrutide, were sold online by one company.²¹

Recalls (August 2026). Some lots of Dr. Reddy's Semaglutide Injection were recalled for an impurity out of specification, and one lot for a 4 mg pen labelled as a 2 mg pen. One lot of Apo-Semaglutide was recalled because the pen could show and deliver 2 mg instead of 0.25 or 0.5 mg. Health Canada advised talking to your healthcare provider before stopping.²² See generic semaglutide recalls in 2026.

Travelling to the US and back. Health Canada's personal-import guidance generally lets residents bring back prescription drugs that were prescribed and filled in Canada, up to a 90-day supply or one course of treatment, whichever is less.³⁶ Keep pens in their labelled box, and plan how you'll keep them cool and away from freezing on the way.

What are the official prices?

The clearest official prices are in Ontario's public drug formulary and in Canada's Drug Agency reviews. They are not necessarily what you'll pay at the counter.^6,7

Ontario's formulary lists the price its public plan pays for each product. Canada's Drug Agency publishes the price a maker submits for review. For tirzepatide, which isn't on any public formulary, the only figures we found are the maker's list prices as reported in the news. Pharmacies set their own prices and fees, so the price you pay can differ. We don't show pharmacy, clinic or savings-card prices.

Semaglutide, weekly pens (Ontario Drug Benefit formulary)

Ontario Drug Benefit formulary, checked 12 Oct 2026. Ozempic and generic semaglutide are covered only for type 2 diabetes, under Limited Use criteria.⁶

Wegovy (semaglutide), weekly FlexTouch pen

Canada's Drug Agency review SR0841 (the maker's submitted price; the pen costs the same at every dose). Its July 2025 recommendation put the yearly cost at $5,066. Checked 12 Oct 2026.^7,4

Zepbound and Mounjaro (tirzepatide), weekly KwikPen

Eli Lilly's Canadian list prices from 29 Dec 2025, as reported by The Globe and Mail via Benefits and Pensions Monitor, 19 Dec 2025. Not an official formulary price. Checked 12 Oct 2026.³⁷

See GLP-1 prices in Canada and our cost calculator.

What does a year cost?

If your plan covers it, often little. If you pay yourself, the medicine alone comes to roughly $1,000 to over $5,000 a year, depending on the product and dose.

A year of weekly doses is 52 doses, or 13 four-dose pens. Using the prices above, the medicine alone for a year comes to about:^6,7,37

Zepbound rising to 10 mg: one 4-week supply each of 2.5 mg ($300), 5 mg ($300) and 7.5 mg ($420), then 10 more of 10 mg ($4,200) = $5,220. The label raises the dose by 2.5 mg at a time, at least 4 weeks apart.³⁰ This is an example for the sum, not a suggestion; your prescriber decides your dose. What you pay at the pharmacy can differ. Wegovy at $388.64 for 13 pens is $5,052; Canada's Drug Agency's figure is slightly higher because it counts a full 365 days.^7,4

Budget in years, not months: Guide 9 covers what happens when you stop. If you have private insurance, ask your insurer in writing what it covers before you count on it.

Questions people ask