Canada Greenlights Second Cheap Ozempic Alternative

(MENAFN) Canada has cemented its status as the most progressive G7 nation on generic diabetes medication access, with Health Canada authorizing a second generic version of the blockbuster drug semaglutide — the active ingredient in the widely prescribed Ozempic — in the span of less than a week.

The newly approved injectable treatment, developed by Canadian-based pharmaceutical firm Apotex, is indicated for once-weekly use in adult patients with type 2 diabetes to regulate blood sugar levels. Health Canada said in a release that the approval followed a thorough review confirming the drug satisfies the agency's benchmarks for safety, efficacy, and quality.

The authorization arrives just three days after Health Canada made history by becoming the first regulator in a G7 country to greenlight a generic semaglutide submission — that one filed by India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories — underscoring Ottawa's accelerating push to broaden patient access to affordable diabetes treatments.

The pipeline shows no sign of slowing. Health Canada confirmed it is currently reviewing seven additional submissions from separate pharmaceutical companies, with further regulatory decisions expected "in the coming weeks and months."

The real-world impact for patients could be substantial. Generic medications in Canada are typically priced between 45 and 90 percent below their brand-name equivalents — a pricing gap that, if replicated for semaglutide, would dramatically reduce out-of-pocket costs for the hundreds of thousands of Canadians managing type 2 diabetes, while delivering meaningful relief to a healthcare system grappling with the rising financial burden of chronic disease management.

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