Canada

Apo-Semaglutide, explained

Pending medical review

Applies to: Canada

By Joshua Nichvolodoff · Fact-checked against sources November 2, 2026 · Next review due January 31, 2027

Clinical review: not yet reviewed by a clinician. How review works · Editorial policy

Apo-Semaglutide is Apotex's generic version of Ozempic. Health Canada authorized it on May 1, 2026 for once-weekly treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes — the second generic semaglutide authorized in Canada, after Dr. Reddy's on April 28[1][2].

What was authorized

Apotex describes two prefilled pens, labelled by the total semaglutide each contains: a 2 mg pen and a 4 mg pen. It developed the product with Orbicular Pharmaceutical Technologies[3]. You can look up any product's Canadian authorization in Health Canada's Drug Product Database[6]. Whether and how to use it is a decision for you, your prescriber and your pharmacist.

What it costs

Apotex said it priced the generic at approximately one-third of the brand price[7]. Reported wholesale prices per four weeks were $78.14 generic vs $240.48 brand (as reported by The Globe and Mail, May 26, 2026; checked November 2, 2026 — may have changed)[8]. What you pay at the counter depends on your pharmacy, its fees and your plan — see the Ontario and British Columbia guides for dated, sourced figures.

Coverage

Public plans have begun listing the generics for type 2 diabetes, each with its own criteria. BC PharmaCare listed them from June 15, 2026[4]; Ontario's drug benefit added them as interchangeable with Ozempic from June 30, 2026[5]; and in Quebec, INESSS records Apo-Semaglutide as listed as an exception medication[9]. Your pharmacist can check what your own plan covers.

Logging it in Light Years

Pick "Semaglutide (injection)" when you set up your plan — Apo-Semaglutide is named there. If your pharmacy changes the product, your logged history stays yours; you're changing the label on the pen in the app, not starting over.

Have a quote from your own pharmacy? Work out your monthly and yearly cost — it runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.

General information, not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start, stop, or switch any medication. Light Years earns nothing from any product named here.

Log each dose and see when the next one is due, on your device. Open my tracker or browse the other guides.

Sources

  1. Canada approves second generic semaglutide, the first G7 country to do so. Health Canada, May 1, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2026/05/canada-approves-second-generic-semaglutide-the-first-g7-country-to-do-so.html. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  2. Canada becomes the first G7 country to approve a generic version of semaglutide. Health Canada, April 28, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2026/04/canada-becomes-the-first-g7-country-to-approve-a-generic-version-of-semaglutide.html. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  3. Apotex becomes the first Canadian-based pharmaceutical company to receive Health Canada approval for a generic equivalent of Ozempic. Apotex, May 1, 2026. https://investors.apotex.com/2026-05-01-Apotex-becomes-the-first-Canadian-based-pharmaceutical-company-to-receive-Health-Canada-approval-for-a-generic-equivalent-of-Ozempic-R. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  4. PharmaCare Newsletter, June 2026 — June 15 special release: formulary update, generic semaglutide. BC Ministry of Health, June 15, 2026. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare/newsletters/pharmacare_newsletter_june_2026.pdf. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  5. ODB Formulary Edition 43 — Summary of Changes, June 2026 (effective June 30, 2026). Ontario Ministry of Health, June 23, 2026. https://ontario.ca/files/2026-06/moh-ontario-drug-benefit-odb-formulary-edition-43-summary-en-2026-06-23.pdf. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  6. Drug Product Database online query. Health Canada. https://health-products.canada.ca/dpd-bdpp/. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  7. Generic Ozempic to hit pharmacies this week, but availability will vary across Canada. The Globe and Mail / The Canadian Press, May 20, 2026. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-generic-semaglutide-pharmacies-canada-availability-ozempic/. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  8. Ozempic maker cuts price as generic versions hit pharmacy shelves. The Globe and Mail, May 26, 2026. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-ozempic-price-brand-name-drug-generic-semaglutide-weight-loss/. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  9. Apo-Semaglutide Injection — extrait d'avis au ministre. INESSS (Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux), June 18, 2026. https://www.inesss.qc.ca/thematiques/medicaments/medicaments-evaluation-aux-fins-dinscription/extrait-davis-au-ministre/apo-semaglutide-injection-8125.html. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text

Figures marked “as reported” are historical: they show what the source said on that date, not today's price or rule.

Changes to this page

  • — Re-sourced to Health Canada, Apotex and provincial formularies; removed dose and pen-equivalence statements we could not source; added Key facts.
  • — First published.

Substantive corrections are also logged at corrections.

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