Apo-Semaglutide: Apotex's Generic Ozempic Pens, Price and Recalls

If a pharmacist just handed you a box marked Apo-Semaglutide, or your drug plan moved you onto it, this page is about that one product. You get the pen you hold, its DIN, the price range, the two recalled lots and how it stacks up against the brand.

For every chain’s counter price in one table, read our generic semaglutide price guide. This page keeps to the Apotex pen.

What is Apo-Semaglutide?

Apo-Semaglutide is a generic copy of Ozempic made by Apotex Inc., a Toronto drug company ⁸. It was the second generic semaglutide Health Canada authorized, on May 1, 2026, three days after the Dr. Reddy’s version ^1,2.

Its approved use is type 2 diabetes. The monograph approves it as a once-weekly shot for adults with type 2 diabetes, added to diet and exercise, alone or with other diabetes medicines ⁸. It is not for type 1 diabetes, not for people under 18, and not approved for weight loss ⁸.

Same molecule, made a different way

Novo Nordisk makes Ozempic’s semaglutide with a biological process. Generic makers build the same peptide with chemistry instead ⁹. The Apotex monograph says so on its cover: its drug is made by “solid-phase synthetic chemistry” ⁸.

Health Canada describes generics like this one as “pharmaceutically equivalent” to the brand biologic ¹⁰. That label carries a condition. The maker had to show that any differences do not affect safety, efficacy or quality ¹⁰.

One detail in the monograph surprises people. Its clinical trial section reports the brand’s studies and is labelled as trials of the reference biologic drug, Ozempic ⁸. If you want the full same-or-different question answered, our page on how the generic compares with brand Ozempic covers it.

When Apo-Semaglutide reached pharmacies

Apotex announced on May 14, 2026 that its first stock was shipping to wholesalers ¹¹. That is also the market date in Health Canada’s database for both pens ⁵. The company told reporters it began shipping to pharmacies on Tuesday, May 19 ^3,4.

On May 29, CBC reported that generics had reached select Rexall and Shoppers Drug Mart stores the week before ¹². Your own pharmacy may have needed longer to get it.

Where to read the Apo-Semaglutide monograph

The product monograph is the official label, and Health Canada posts it with the drug’s entry in the Drug Product Database ⁸. It runs to 63 pages, with a plain-language patient section and step-by-step pen instructions near the end.

Search the database for DIN 02568020 or 02568012 to find it. Apotex also lists a phone line for questions, 1-800-667-4708, in the patient section ⁸.

Apo-Semaglutide is one of several generic options in Canada. Our generic Ozempic overview lists the rest, including the ones that are approved but not yet sold.

Apo-Semaglutide pens, doses and DINs

There are two Apo-Semaglutide pens, and each has its own DIN. The starter pen holds 2 mg of semaglutide and dials 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg; the second pen holds 4 mg and dials only 1 mg ^5,8.

• Starter pen, DIN 02568020. It holds 2 mg in 3 mL, a strength of 0.68 mg/mL. A new pen gives four 0.25 mg doses and then two 0.5 mg doses, or four 0.5 mg doses, and the carton has 6 needles ⁸.
• 1 mg pen, DIN 02568012. It holds 4 mg in 3 mL, or 1.34 mg/mL, enough for four 1 mg doses. It cannot dial anything but 1 mg, and the carton has 4 needles ⁸.

Why the starter pen’s strength matters

Apotex chose the weaker 0.68 mg/mL solution for its starter pen. The Dr. Reddy’s, Aspen and Sandoz starter pens all use 1.34 mg/mL ⁵. Ozempic has sold both strengths, and its 0.68 mg/mL starter pen (DIN 02540258) is the one still marketed ⁵.

Ontario’s formulary groups each generic pen with the Ozempic pen of the same strength. The Apo starter pen sits with Ozempic DIN 02540258, and the Apo 1 mg pen sits with the 1 mg pens from Novo Nordisk and Dr. Reddy’s ¹³.

The dose counter reads in milligrams, so you dial 0.5 mg the same way whatever the strength of the solution ⁸. What changes is the amount of liquid: at half the strength, the Apo starter pen pushes out twice the volume for the same dose. That is one reason a quick pen demo is worth asking for when you switch.

Dose steps in the monograph

The monograph sets the schedule. Start at 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, which it calls a starting dose rather than a treatment dose, then move to 0.5 mg weekly ⁸. If blood sugar needs more control after at least 4 weeks, the dose may go to 1 mg weekly ⁸.

The label allows up to 2 mg a week, but no Apo-Semaglutide pen can give it. The monograph says a different product is needed for a 2 mg dose ⁸. Your own dose is a decision for your prescriber.

Storage

Keep unused pens in the fridge at 2°C to 8°C, away from the cooling element, and never freeze them ⁸. Once you start a pen it lasts 8 weeks, in the fridge or at 15°C to 30°C, with the cap on to block light ⁸.

How much does Apo-Semaglutide cost?

A four-week Apo-Semaglutide pen runs $92 to $123 at Canadian pharmacy chains, dispensing fee included, before insurance. The low end is Costco Pharmacy and the high end is Shoppers Drug Mart.

Those figures come from two places. Chains marked Audited are taken from a published August 2026 retail audit, and chains marked Estimated are our estimates built from the public list price and each chain’s fee.

What the public plans pay

Ontario’s drug plan lists Apo-Semaglutide at $78.14 per pen, for both DINs ¹³. It pays that same amount even when a pharmacy fills brand Ozempic, whose listed price is $227.94 ¹³. The generic works out to about 34% of the brand’s Ontario price.

The Globe and Mail put the Apotex wholesale price at $78.14 for a four-week supply. Its Ozempic figure was $240.48, both before pharmacy markup and fees ^14,3. Apotex itself framed the generic as about a third of the brand price ⁴.

CBC reported in late May 2026 that generics had pulled cash prices down to roughly $100 a month ¹². That sits in the same range as the cheaper rows of the table above.

Our read: every counter sells the same Apotex pen, so the cheapest pharmacy you can reach is the right pick when you pay cash. If you are weighing a pharmacy against an online prescriber, the route finder further down this page sorts the options for your province.

Apo-Semaglutide recalls: lots 7000599A and 7000636A

Apotex has recalled two single lots, one of each pen. Both were Type II recalls at the retail level, and both were about the dose the pen shows or gives ^6,7.

Lot 7000599A, starter pen (RA-82536)

Health Canada posted this one on August 27, 2026. It covers the 2 mg starter pen, DIN 02568020, lot 7000599A ⁶.

The problem was a dose higher than intended. Pens from that lot may display 2 mg in the dose window and deliver 2 mg, when the pen is meant to give 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg ⁶.

Lot 7000636A, 1 mg pen (RA-82679)

The second recall started on September 23 and went public on September 25, 2026. It covers the 4 mg pen, DIN 02568012, lot 7000636A ⁷.

This time the problem was a dose lower than intended. A pen from that lot may show 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg in the dose window and give that smaller dose instead of 1 mg ⁷. The lot went to Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Quebec ⁷.

What to do if you have Apo-Semaglutide at home

1. Read the lot number on your pen and its carton.
2. Compare it with 7000599A (starter pen) and 7000636A (1 mg pen). Each notice names one lot only ^6,7.
3. Call the pharmacy that filled it if the number matches. Ask what to do with the pen and how to get a replacement.
4. Do not stop on your own. Ask your pharmacist or prescriber before you skip or change a dose.

Dr. Reddy’s has had its own recalls, which are separate from these. Our page on every semaglutide recall in Canada keeps all of them in one list.

Is Apo-Semaglutide covered by my plan?

For type 2 diabetes, usually yes, under the rules that already covered Ozempic. Every province and territory’s public plan covered brand Ozempic for type 2 diabetes before generics arrived ³, and the generics are being added to those listings.

• Ontario. The Ontario Drug Benefit lists Apo-Semaglutide as Limited Use, code 665. That covers adults whose type 2 diabetes is not controlled on the highest metformin dose they can take, or who cannot take metformin ^13,15. It was listed on June 30, 2026, as interchangeable with Ozempic ¹³.
• Alberta. Generic semaglutide joined the Alberta Drug Benefit List on July 1, 2026, with the same criteria as Ozempic ¹⁶. The rule that would make Ozempic users pay the difference was postponed when Dr. Reddy’s ran short ¹⁷.
• British Columbia. PharmaCare’s Special Authority covers both semaglutide strengths, 0.68 mg/mL and 1.34 mg/mL, for type 2 diabetes after metformin, up to 1 mg a week ¹⁸.

Private plans follow the provinces. Medavie Blue Cross switches members to the generic once a province confirms it is interchangeable, and members with mandatory generic substitution pay the difference to stay on Ozempic ¹⁹. Manulife and Sun Life told the Globe and Mail they would switch patients or pay at the generic price after provinces ruled ³.

Weight loss is a different story, and Apo-Semaglutide is not approved for it. Our coverage guide walks through each province and the private insurers.

Apo-Semaglutide vs Ozempic vs Dr. Reddy’s

All three contain semaglutide and share the type 2 diabetes use. The real differences are the maker, how the drug is made, the starter pen’s strength and whether you can get it today.

The approval dates come from Health Canada’s Notice of Compliance records ². Pen strengths and status come from the Drug Product Database, which lists a product as marketed even when supply is short ⁵.

Our read: for most people on the diabetes label, the choice between Apo-Semaglutide and Ozempic comes down to price and your plan’s rules, not the pen. The Dr. Reddy’s pen is the harder one to find right now, and our Dr. Reddy’s semaglutide page explains why and what its users are being switched to.

Sevmia: Apotex’s generic Wegovy

Apotex also holds Canada’s first generic weight-loss semaglutide. Sevmia is its copy of Wegovy, authorized on June 29, 2026, with its own DIN (02569582) and a single pen that gives a 1 mg weekly dose ^20,5,21.

As of October 22, 2026, Health Canada lists Sevmia as approved but not marketed, and Apotex has published no launch date or price ^5,21. Apo-Semaglutide does not stand in for it, since its label covers diabetes only. Our page on Sevmia and generic Wegovy follows that product.

How to ask for Apo-Semaglutide at the pharmacy

You need a prescription for semaglutide. Which interchangeable product the pharmacist can fill depends on your province’s rules and your plan ^16,19. A few minutes at the counter can save money and a mix-up.

1. Ask for it by name. Say “Apo-Semaglutide” or “the Apotex generic”. Other generics are labelled Semaglutide Injection or carry their maker’s name ⁵.
2. Match the pen to your dose. The starter pen (DIN 02568020) is for 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg; the 1 mg pen (DIN 02568012) is for 1 mg only ^5,8.
3. Ask for a pen demo. Apotex says its instructions for use follow the brand’s ¹¹, but a pen you have never used is still new to your hands. Ask the pharmacist to walk you through priming the pen and dialling your dose.
4. Check your coverage first. In Ontario that means the Limited Use code; in BC, Special Authority ^15,18. Bring your plan card.
5. Think before you write “no substitution”. With a private plan that forces generic substitution, staying on brand Ozempic can mean paying the difference yourself ¹⁹.
6. Check the lot number before you leave, against the two recalled lots above.

If you pay cash, compare a few counters first, because the same pen costs different amounts at different chains. If the cheapest pharmacy is out of stock, ask it to order the pen in or check whether a nearby store has it.