EN

GLP‑1 medicines,
explained for Canada

Start with your health, not a brand name. What your BMI and waist mean, who pays, the risks, and where medicines like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound fit.

Do I have obesity?Does my plan cover it?Is it for me?Side effects
We don't sell medicines Every fact has a source No links to sellers

Where are you starting from?

Pick the one closest to you. We'll take you through just the guides you need, in order, and each one tells you what to read next.

Or read all nine guides

From understanding GLP‑1s to living with one, in four stages. Each guide ends with a link to the next.

Stage 1Understand

Guide 1 · UnderstandWeight and healthDo I have obesity? What BMI and waist numbers mean, including the lower numbers for Asian adults.
Guide 2 · UnderstandWhat GLP‑1s doHow they act on your gut, brain and appetite, and what Health Canada has approved.

Stage 2Decide

Guide 3 · DecideYour optionsFood, activity, other medicines, GLP‑1s and surgery, side by side.
Guide 4 · DecideShould I consider a GLP‑1?Who they may suit, who pays, and when not to.
Guide 5 · DecideSide effects and risksCommon and serious effects, and when to get help.

Stage 3Do it safely

Guide 6 · Do it safelyGetting a prescription in CanadaWho may prescribe, who pays, the brands and generics, recalls, fakes and official prices.
Guide 7 · Do it safelyChoosing a doctor, clinic or programFamily doctor, virtual clinic or pharmacy program: what they offer, how they charge, what to check.

Stage 4Live with it

Guide 8 · Live with itLife on a GLP‑1Food and protein, injecting, winter storage, travel, Ramadan and fasting.
Guide 9 · Live with itStopping and the long termWhat happens after, and the cost over the years.

Free tools

Check your numbers, see if a GLP‑1 could be an option, work out the cost and get ready for your appointment. No sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your device.

BMI and waistSee where you sit against the Canadian guideline, including the numbers for Asian adults
Could it be an option for me?A 1-minute check against the Health Canada labels and the Canadian guideline
Cost calculatorThe 6- and 12-month total for a medicine and dose
Before you see a doctorQuestions to take along to your appointment

Prices in Canada

All prices

Official prices for a month at the starting dose and the top dose, and who pays. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

Before you go further. These are prescription drugs. A prescriber decides with you whether one fits, and which.1 They have real risks: read Side effects and risks first. A lower price doesn't make a medicine right for you.
By medicine
MedicineTypeFormStarting dose / monthTop dose / month
SemaglutideWeekly injection 4
Wegovy FlexTouchNovo Nordisk · approved for weight management and heart attack riskBrandPenStarting dose$388.64any dose · maker's price in the 2025 federal review3Top dose$388.642.4 mg · same price at every dose3
OzempicNovo Nordisk · approved for type 2 diabetes onlyBrandPenStarting dose$227.94Ontario plan price2Top dose$227.94any strength listed · same source2
Generic semaglutideApotex, Dr. Reddy's · generics of Ozempic, for type 2 diabetes, on sale since May 202613GenericPenStarting dose$78.14Ontario plan price2Top dose$78.141 mg pen · same source2
SevmiaApotex · generic of Wegovy, approved Jun 2026, not yet on sale; 1 mg pen only11GenericPenStarting doseNot a starting dose1 mg pen$325.05listed on Ontario's formulary, not a plan benefit2
TirzepatideWeekly injection 2
Zepbound KwikPenEli Lilly · approved for weight management and sleep apnoea in obesityBrandPenStarting dose$3002.5 mg · list price from 29 Dec 2025, as reported4Top doseNot published$420 at 7.5 and 10 mg; none found for 12.5 and 15 mg4
MounjaroEli Lilly · approved for type 2 diabetes onlyBrandPenStarting dose$3002.5 mg · same reported list price as Zepbound4Top doseNot published$420 at 7.5 and 10 mg4
TabletsDaily tablet 1
RybelsusNovo Nordisk · semaglutide · approved for type 2 diabetes only. No GLP‑1 tablet is approved for weight in Canada.1BrandTabletPer tablet$7.53Ontario plan price, any strength230 tablets$225.91our arithmetic, same source2
Who paysPublic plans and insurance
For weight management: no provincial plan covers Wegovy, Zepbound or Saxenda (as of 12 Oct 2026).5 Only a small number of private insurers do.6
For type 2 diabetes: provincial plans, RAMQ and NIHB cover semaglutide with conditions, usually after metformin. We found no province that covers tirzepatide.7,2 Plan by plan →
Prices are for one pen (4 weekly doses, about a month), from Ontario's public drug formulary, Canada's Drug Agency's review, or the maker's list price as reported in the news, as marked. They are not necessarily what you pay at the pharmacy. We don't show pharmacy, clinic or savings-card prices. Grouped by medicine. Not sorted by price, and not a recommendation. Your prescriber sets the medicine and the dose. Sources 2–7, 11, 13.

Latest updates

What's changed in Canada, newest first.

All updatesComing soon

Common questions

Short answers, each with its source.

Does my province cover Ozempic or Wegovy?
For type 2 diabetes, provincial plans cover semaglutide (Ozempic and generics) with conditions, usually after metformin.7,2 For weight management, no provincial plan covers Wegovy, Zepbound or Saxenda, as of 12 Oct 2026; a small number of private insurers do.5,6 More in who pays, plan by plan.
Is Ozempic approved for weight loss in Canada?
No. Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy contains the same medicine, semaglutide, and is approved for weight management.23,8 Mounjaro is approved for type 2 diabetes; its weight brand is Zepbound.1,12
Is there a generic Ozempic in Canada?
Yes. Canada was the first G7 country to approve a generic semaglutide, in April 2026, and generics of Ozempic for type 2 diabetes reached pharmacies in May 2026.14,13 Some lots were recalled in August 2026.10 A generic of Wegovy, Sevmia, is approved but not yet on sale.11 A Sandoz generic of Ozempic was approved in September 2026.9
Is a GLP‑1 right for me?
Only a prescriber who knows your health history can say. For weight, the Health Canada labels cover adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 to under 30 with a weight-related health problem, alongside changes to food and activity.8,12 Read Should I consider a GLP‑1? and Side effects and risks before you see your doctor.
What are the side effects?
The most common are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and stomach pain, mostly when starting or raising the dose. Less common but serious: inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder problems, and kidney injury from dehydration. They carry a thyroid tumour warning, and are not for use in pregnancy.18,22 You can report side effects to Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program.21 More in Side effects and risks.
What's the difference between Zepbound and Wegovy?
Zepbound is tirzepatide, which acts on two gut hormones (GLP‑1 and GIP). Wegovy is semaglutide, which acts on one. In a head-to-head trial in adults with obesity, paid for by Lilly, average weight loss was larger on tirzepatide. Results varied a lot between people, and stomach side effects were common on both.16
Is it safe to get it online?
It can be, if the prescriber is licensed in your province and gives the same standard of care as in person, and a licensed pharmacy fills it.20,15 Health Canada warns about fake and unauthorized GLP‑1s, and says to check the 8-digit DIN on the label.15
What happens when you stop taking it?
Weight usually comes back. A year after stopping semaglutide, trial participants had regained about two-thirds of the weight they had lost.17 The Canadian guideline recommends long-term use when the medicine works.22
What BMI counts as obesity in Canada?
The Canadian guideline counts a BMI of 30 or more as obesity, and 25 to 29.9 as overweight. For South, Southeast and East Asian adults, overweight starts at 23. Waist size matters too.19 These numbers mark health risk. They don't decide whether you need medicine. More in Weight and health.

All questions

Explainers and quick answers

Longer articles on costs, rules, side effects and daily life, plus short answers to single questions.

Blog20 in-depth articlesQuestions20 short answers

The monthly Canada update

New approvals and generics, coverage changes, official price changes, recalls and safety alerts. Once a month, nothing else.

An independent guide: no drug-company money, no clinic commissions, no affiliate links.

Sources (23)
  1. Health Canada. Drug Product Database: GLP-1 product records and schedules (all "Prescription"; Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes; Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes; no oral Wegovy or orforglipron listed). Searched 12 October 2026. health-products.canada.ca
  2. Ontario Ministry of Health. Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary (Ozempic $227.94 per pen, ODB pays $78.141; generic semaglutide $78.141 per pen; Sevmia $325.048, off-formulary interchangeable; Rybelsus $7.5303 per tablet, Limited Use; tirzepatide not listed). Checked 12 October 2026. formulary.health.gov.on.ca
  3. Canada's Drug Agency (CDA-AMC). Semaglutide (Wegovy) SR0841, pharmacoeconomic review ("The unit cost is $388.64 per pen… the cost of pens is the same for all doses"). canjhealthtechnol.ca
  4. Benefits and Pensions Monitor (reporting The Globe and Mail). Eli Lilly cuts Canadian obesity drug prices (Mounjaro and Zepbound, from 29 December 2025: $300 per 4-week supply for 2.5 and 5 mg; $420 for 7.5 and 10 mg). 19 December 2025. benefitsandpensionsmonitor.com
  5. BC PharmaCare. Drug coverage decision: semaglutide (Wegovy), 18 December 2025 ("Non-benefit"; pCPA negotiations concluded without agreement on 1 December 2025). Status of public plans checked 12 October 2026. gov.bc.ca (PDF)
  6. Global News. Novo Nordisk to cut Ozempic price as generics arrive ("only a small number of private insurers cover the use of the drugs for weight management"). 26 May 2026. globalnews.ca
  7. BC PharmaCare, limited coverage drugs: semaglutide (21 April 2026); Diabète Québec, coverage table for RAMQ and NIHB (March 2026); Alberta Blue Cross Benefact 1330 (July 2026). BC · QC · AB
  8. Novo Nordisk Canada. Wegovy (semaglutide injection) Product Monograph, revised 2 October 2026 (indications, including MASH under the NOC/c policy). PDF
  9. Health Canada Drug Product Database and Sandoz Semaglutide Product Monograph (authorized 16 September 2026; status "Approved"); Sandoz press release, 18 September 2026. health-products.canada.ca
  10. Health Canada recalls: Dr. Reddy's Semaglutide Injection (12 and 27 August 2026) and Apo-Semaglutide (27 August 2026). impurity · pen · Apo
  11. Health Canada Drug Product Database: Sevmia (DIN 02569582, authorized 29 June 2026, "Approved", not marketed); Apotex press release, 30 June 2026 (1 mg pen). health-products.canada.ca
  12. Eli Lilly Canada. Zepbound (tirzepatide injection) Product Monograph, 11 June 2026 (weight management; obstructive sleep apnoea in adults with obesity). PDF
  13. Global News / The Canadian Press. Generic semaglutide sales begin in Canada. 20 May 2026. globalnews.ca
  14. Health Canada. Canada becomes the first G7 country to approve a generic version of semaglutide. News release, 28 April 2026. canada.ca
  15. Health Canada. Thinking about buying GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro? Beware of fake or unauthorized products (advisory RA-81518), updated 21 January 2026. recalls-rappels.canada.ca
  16. Aronne LJ et al. Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-5). NEJM, 2025;393:26–36. Funded by Eli Lilly. DOI
  17. Wilding JPH et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2022;24(8):1553–1564. DOI
  18. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) US prescribing information, revised June 2026. (US label.) PDF
  19. Rueda-Clausen CF et al. Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: Assessment of People Living with Obesity. Obesity Canada, Version 1, 4 August 2020. obesitycanada.ca (PDF)
  20. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Virtual Care policy, updated June 2022. cpso.on.ca
  21. Health Canada. Adverse reaction and medical device problem reporting (Canada Vigilance Program). canada.ca
  22. Pedersen SD et al. Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: Pharmacotherapy for Obesity Management in Adults, 2025 update. Obesity Canada, Version 3, 11 August 2025. obesitycanada.ca (PDF)
  23. Novo Nordisk Canada. Ozempic (semaglutide injection) Product Monograph, 13 July 2026 (type 2 diabetes). PDF