When Tiana Nordstrom got off Ozempic, it was like a tap had been turned on in her head. Suddenly, all her thoughts the drug had suppressed about food and eating came flooding back. 

“It’s relentless and it’s constant,” said the 50-year-old Powell River, B.C., resident.

“And if you’re not … in the mood to check yourself, then, you know, you go graze in the fridge.” 

Nordstrom was pre-diabetic when she started taking the medication in 2022. Paired with consistent exercise and healthy eating, the drugs helped her steer clear of diabetes, but she eventually had to stop taking them. 

As her dosage increased, so did the price tag — the grand total a whopping $400 a month.

“I needed to come off of it just for the sake of being able to afford the rest of my life.”

That was the reality for many other Canadians — until now. The highly anticipated generic semaglutide arrived at some pharmacies, including select Rexall and Shoppers Drug Mart locations, across Canada last week, and they’re being hailed as a gamer-changer.

According to pharmacies, generics have slashed the price to roughly $100 a month, which they expect will quickly drive up demand. 

Generics on backorder for some as rollout ramps up 

Tim Brady, a southwestern Ontario pharmacist, says getting his hands on generics for his two pharmacies wasn’t easy.

“It came out on the weekend and then probably within an hour if you didn’t order it right away, they [were] already out of stock,” said Brady, owner of Brady’s Drug Store locations in Windsor-Essex.

While he’s got the generic version from Toronto-based Apotex, Brady said the one from India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is currently on back order from his supplier. 

As word gets out that generics are now available, Brady said he’s focused on making sure people understand that they’re just as good of an option.

And experts have told CBC News that while the process to produce the brand name versus the generics is different, the end result is the same. 

As more generics become available, which Brady anticipates will be the case, he says prices could fall to as low as $75 a month. 

“I’ve always said if a company can find a way [to help people lose weight], it’s a huge market,” he said. “[And now] it’s here.”

To compete with generics taking over the market, Ozempic’s parent company, Novo Nordisk, has launched a savings card that will allow people to stay on the brand version and “pay less, aligning their medication costs with generic alternatives.”

The company said that it has an established supply of its medication across Canada.

“We are dedicated to ensuring that eligible patients who choose Ozempic can stay on the brand because of these additional savings,” said Iain Graham, general manager at Novo Nordisk Canada, in an emailed news release.

Providers caution medication is not for everyone

Loblaw Companies Limited, which owns Shoppers Drug Mart, has generics at all of its stores, but availability may vary because it is early in the rollout, a spokesperson said, though people can check supply online.

In the first 24 hours of generics coming online, Felix Health, a Canadian virtual care platform, had 14 times the number of people requesting a weight-loss visit with a doctor, according to chief pharmacy officer Tracey Phillips.

A majority of those requests were from new patients, the company said in an emailed statement.

As for how the company ensures that the medication is getting to the right people, Phillips said their health-care providers review “the patient’s health history, current medications, contraindications, treatment goals and whether a GLP-1 is appropriate for them.” 

“Lower cost may bring more people forward, but it does not change the clinical standard,” she said.

“Not everyone who is interested in these medications should necessarily be prescribed one.”

Despite the drug’s many benefits, which include reducing the risk of major cardiac events, stroke and early death, Brady, the Ontario pharmacist, emphasized that people should still consult a health-care professional before starting it.

For Nordstrom, the B.C. resident, the fact that the medication is now more affordable is “life-changing.” She said she will likely start taking it again.

“It’s not just being able to fit into clothes; it’s being able to fit into a lifestyle of being able to exercise without the added weight stress on your joints, being able to walk long distances,” she said. 

 “The heart health … protections that come with that medication, as well, [are] significant.”