New ‘tool’ to treat obesity coming to Canada

Ozempic maker’s weight-loss drug Wegovy available for health-care providers to offer next week

Canadian patients will soon be able to get a prescription for the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, a higherdose version of Ozempic.

Novo Nordisk on Thursday said Wegovy will be available in Canada starting Monday, a move welcomed by obesity experts who stress the drug should be prescribed as a weight-loss treatment, rather than for cosmetic reasons.

The weekly injection was approved by Health Canada in 2021 for patients diagnosed with obesity. But Novo Nordisk did not make the medication available in the country due to global supply issues amid soaring demand.

Wegovy is the brand name for semaglutide, the same medication used in the diabetes drug Ozempic. Both are manufactured by Novo Nordisk.

Though Ozempic is meant for Type 2 diabetes, health-care providers in Canada have been prescribing the injectable medication off-label to patients for obesity management while waiting for access to Wegovy. Studies show semaglutide is safe and effective for weight loss.

Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, scientific director for Obesity Canada and professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, said the arrival of Wegovy in Canada will “address the confusion that people have had about Ozempic.”

“It provides clarity that Wegovy is for obesity, and this is what it should be used for.”

Sockalingam noted one in four Canadians are living with obesity and said increasing access to treatment is crucial to help people lower their risk of medical conditions associated with the disease. Complications linked to obesity include high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Wegovy is “another tool” for health-care providers to treat patients with obesity, he said, adding the medication should be used alongside physical activity and improved nutrition. Sockalingam said Obesity Canada will soon update its clinical guidelines to include Wegovy.

Wegovy can be prescribed in Canada to treat obesity in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Doctors can also prescribe the drug to patients with a BMI of 27 or greater who also have at least one weight-related medical condition, including Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.

Sockalingam stressed that Wegovy is meant to treat obesity — a medical condition — and its associated complications, and should not be prescribed for cosmetic reasons.

“We’re not thinking about these treatments as a way to simply lose weight to change a body shape in a more favourable way. This is about addressing the impact of having excess adipose tissue, or fat tissue, that impacts our health.”

Jennifer Lake, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, called Wegovy “an important drug class” for patients at risk of health complications from obesity, adding studies show results from taking the medication are similar to those achieved through weight-loss surgery.

Earlier this year, Ontario’s Ministry of Health put limits on how Ozempic is covered for people on social assistance, stating the move was to help conserve supply of the drug for people with Type 2 diabetes, though experts have since questioned whether the change was made to cut costs.

The ministry change means seniors and others relying on Ontario’s drug program with prescriptions for Ozempic for weight loss now have to pay out of pocket.

Given the recent move, Lake said she was unsure whether Ontario would cover Wegovy in its public drug program. She also has questions about how private insurers will deal with Wegovy and whether they will continue to provide coverage for off-label Ozempic prescriptions.

In a statement to the Star, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. stated the list price for Wegovy “across all dosage strengths” is $388.64 per package, a 28-day supply.

The company noted “prices may vary person to person” and said it is “engaging public and private payers to define the clinical benefits and value Wegovy provides to Canadians living with obesity.”

Obesity experts stress Wegovy should be prescribed as a weight-loss treatment, rather than for cosmetic reasons