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Canadian retail pharmacy Rexall is now offering home deliveries of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk Canada, the drugmaker behind the GLP-1 drugs, said in a statement Wednesday.
The partnership between the two companies aims to provide Canadians with home access to Ozempic and Wegovy semaglutide injections and Rybelsus oral tablets.
The service, called Novo Nordisk Care Rx, has launched across all Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec, the company said.
The support will be delivered through Rexall’s online pharmacy, Rexall Direct, and Canadians can order the medication “right to their doorstep with pricing in line with in-store pharmacy,” Novo Nordisk said.
Patients can receive the treatments at home for “no additional cost” and will have the option of chatting with a Rexall pharmacist over the phone to “receive personalized education, advice, and ongoing support.”
“Through this collaboration, customers can confidently access Ozempic and Wegovy products from a trusted pharmacy, receive personalized support and guidance from our pharmacists, and manage their care from the comfort of their own home,” Rexall COO Jeff Boutilier said in a statement.
Over the last few weeks, Health Canada approved two generic versions of semaglutide, the medication in brand-name drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
The first one, by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in India, was approved in April and the second, by a Canadian company called Apotex, was approved earlier this month.
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Canada is the first G7 country to authorize generic semaglutide. There are now seven other submissions currently under review for generic semaglutide by different companies.
According to Felix, a Canadian integrated health-care platform, the average cost of Ozempic injections can be between $200 and $450 per month, depending on the province.
Wegovy’s current list price is an expected $5,066 per patient per year, or roughly $400 per month.
Health Canada has stated that many generic medications are 45 to 90 per cent cheaper than the brand-name versions.
There have now been many studies and analyses that suggest that the use of GLP-1 drugs goes beyond just weight loss and diabetes, with potential benefits ranging from helping mental illness and substance abuse to kidney disease, heart disease and even osteoarthritis, some experts say.
While multiple studies have said there is data suggesting benefits from semaglutide, others have also found risks.
A 2023 study out of the University of British Columbia found that GLP-1 drugs were associated with an increased risk of stomach paralysis, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction.
In 2024, a Harvard study found that the drugs were also linked to an increased risk of sudden and irreversible vision loss and blindness.
Some of the more common side effects associated with semaglutide include belching, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, indigestion and nausea.
— with files from Global’s Adriana Fallico
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