Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeNewsRetail & MarketingCanadians can now get digital prescriptions for 'generic Ozempic'Hims & Hers has started offering eligible customers personalized treatment plans starting at $149/monthLast updated 2 days ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Canada is the first in the G7 to have an approved generic version of semaglutide. Photo by PNG Merlin ArchiveTelehealth provider Hims & Hers Health Inc. announced Thursday the availability of generic semaglutide through its platform, allowing eligible Canadians access to digital prescriptions for the popular drug widely used for weight loss.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorWith Health Canada’s approval of the first two generic injection semaglutide, the medication popularized by the brand name Ozempic, Canadians can now access a more affordable version of the drug prescribed in the treatment of type 2 diabetes but widely used off-label as an anti-obesity medication.Hims & Hers has started offering eligible customers personalized treatment plans starting at $149/month, which would include the medication.Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. 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Please try again“Generic medication will be more affordable than other options, and I think that will be a particularly attractive opportunity for Canadians,” Austin Kouri, general manager of Hims & Hers Canada, said in an interview. “This is obviously a little bit of an unprecedented environment, with Canada being one of the first to bring generics in the market.”Canada is the first in the G7 to have an approved generic version of semaglutide, following Health Canada‘s approval of one made by Indian pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories on April 28 and a second one from Canadian pharmaceutical giant Apotex Inc. on May 1.Hims & Hers will be offering Apotex’s Apo-semaglutide injection, the generic equivalent of Ozempic launched earlier this month.Apotex said the product is shipping this week to wholesalers and distributors nationally and should be available to Canadians at their local pharmacies by the end of this week or early next. “The launch of Apo-semaglutide injection reflects our Canadian roots and our dedication to making important treatment options more accessible to people across Canada,” Martin Arès, president of Apotex Canada, said in a press release when the generic drug launched. Health Canada is also reviewing seven other submissions for generic semaglutides by different companies, it said. These include Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk’s second brands Plosbrio (similar to Ozempic) and Poviztra (similar to Wegovy), which the Danish pharmaceutical company said were filed to “maintain flexibility,” although it has yet to make any decisions around launching the products. Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk lost its Canadian patent protection on its popular semaglutide-based drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, after apparently failing to pay a small fee to maintain the patent. According to the Canadian Patent Database, Novo Nordisk was first issued the patent in 2013 but it is now “expired and beyond the period of reversal.” It will hold its U.S. patent until at least 2032. This opened up applications for generic versions of the drug in Canada, one of the first jurisdictions with availability for generic semaglutide anywhere in the world. 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