Weight-loss drug Wegovy available on May 6

The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.

Novo Nordisk’s weekly injection is approved for weight loss of patients diagnosed with obesity.

Wegovy can also be prescribed to patients significantly overweight with at least one related medical condition such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or obstructive sleep apnea.

Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam of Obesity Canada says obesity is a serious medical condition and Wegovy is an important treatment option.

He says it’s not intended for “cosmetic” use.

Wegovy contains the same medication — semaglutide — as the diabetes drug Ozempic but at a higher dose.

It’s meant to be used in tandem with physical activity and nutrition, he said.

Obesity Canada will update its medication guidelines to include Wegovy, Sockalingam said.

Health Canada approved Wegovy in November 2021 based on studies that “demonstrated a statistically significantly greater amount of weight loss in semaglutide-treated (patients) as compared to placebo-treated subjects,” according to the federal government’s website.

Doctors can prescribe it for patients with obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 kilograms per square metre or greater.

They can also prescribe Wegovy to overweight patients with a BMI of 27 kg per square metre if they also have at least one weight-related medical condition. That could include hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia (an imbalance of lipids such as cholesterol or triglycerides) or obstructive sleep apnea.