Health Canada database synced November 3, 2026 · Prices from a published August 2026 retail audit Health Canada authorized generics only
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Generic semaglutide news in Canada

Generic semaglutide news moves in short bursts: an approval, a shipment, a shortage, a recall. Here is every dated event since the data protection ended, newest first, each linked to the regulator, the plan or the company that announced it. Health Canada's database was last synced on November 3, 2026.

Latest

Sandoz is the most recent approval (September 16, 2026), but only Apo-Semaglutide is marketed with no reported supply halt. Dr. Reddy's has been paused since July with a November target, Sevmia is approved but unsold, and nine more filings sit in Health Canada's review list.

Timeline of generic semaglutide in Canada from the 2020 patent lapse to the 2026 approvals, launches and recalls
News · Updated Oct 22, 2026Health Canada generic semaglutide submission review: the nine filings still waitingSafety · Updated Oct 22, 2026Semaglutide recall Canada: the four generic pen recalls and the exact lots to checkNews · Updated Oct 22, 2026Why Canada Got Generic Semaglutide First: A Lapsed Patent and the End of Data Protection

Every event, newest first

Second Apo-Semaglutide lot recalled

Lot 7000636A of the 4 mg Apo-Semaglutide pen was recalled because the pen may give 0.25 or 0.5 mg instead of the 1 mg dose. The notice lists seven provinces where the lot was distributed.1

Sandoz Semaglutide approved

Health Canada issued Sandoz a Notice of Compliance for a generic of Ozempic in two pens, 0.25 or 0.5 mg and 1 mg. It is a licensing approval, and Sandoz announced it two days later as an upcoming launch without a date.2,3

Nine more generic filings under review

Health Canada's public list of generic submissions showed nine semaglutide filings in review, from Sandoz (two), Taro, Teva, AA Pharma, Zydus, Apotex, Angita and Vimy.4

Recalls hit Apo-Semaglutide and Dr. Reddy's

One lot of the 2 mg Apo-Semaglutide pen was recalled because it could show and deliver a 2 mg dose. The same day, eight lots of Dr. Reddy's pens were recalled for an impurity outside specification.5,6

Second Aspen semaglutide approved

Aspen Pharmacare Canada received a second generic semaglutide approval, separate from its July licensing approval. No launch has been announced for either.2,7

Alberta private plans move to the generic price

Alberta Blue Cross began paying only the generic price for Ozempic on private plans that follow generic pricing. The public-plan switch stayed on hold because of the shortage.8

Dr. Reddy's wrong-pen recall

One lot of Dr. Reddy's 0.25/0.5 mg product was recalled because a 4 mg pen was packed in a box labelled for the 2 mg pen.9

Dr. Reddy's sets a November restart

On an earnings call, Dr. Reddy's said it had sold 180,000 pens in Canada and planned to resume semaglutide supply by November, after halting new batches over an ingredient quality issue.10

Aspen-Semaglutide approved

Health Canada approved Aspen-Semaglutide under a licensing agreement between two manufacturers. Reuters reported that its launch depends on ingredient from Dr. Reddy’s.2,11

Dr. Reddy's reports a shortage

Alberta Blue Cross told pharmacies that Dr. Reddy's had reported a shortage and postponed its least-cost pricing switch until generic supply stabilizes.12

Ozempic Savings Card extended to private coverage

Novo Nordisk opened its card to people with private drug coverage, still excluding Quebec and public plans.13

Alberta lists the generics

Generic semaglutide joined the Alberta Drug Benefit List for type 2 diabetes, listed as interchangeable with Ozempic.14

Ontario lists every generic at $78.14

The Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary listed the generics as interchangeable with Ozempic, and the ministry now pays $78.141 a pen for any of them, Ozempic included.15

Sevmia, the first generic Wegovy, approved

Health Canada approved Apotex’s Sevmia for chronic weight management. Its only pen delivers 1 mg a week, and it has no market date yet.16,7

Ozempic Savings Card starts

Novo Nordisk’s card, announced May 26, began cutting the cash price of brand Ozempic for people without coverage, outside Quebec. Novo has published no dollar figure.17

Dr. Reddy's reaches select pharmacies

Dr. Reddy’s said its generic arrived in select Canadian pharmacies. CBC later reported the generics at roughly $100 a month at the counter.18,19

Apo-Semaglutide ships to pharmacies

Apotex shipped to wholesalers from May 14 and to pharmacies from May 19, at a wholesale price the Globe and Mail reported as $78.14 for four weeks.20,18

Apo-Semaglutide approved

Apotex became the second company approved, and the first Canadian one.21

First generic semaglutide approved

Health Canada approved Dr. Reddy's semaglutide injection, a generic of Ozempic, and said Canada was the first G7 country to approve a generic semaglutide.22

Data protection ends

The data protection period on Novo Nordisk's semaglutide ended, clearing the last barrier to generic approvals.23

Before 2026: how the door opened

Two locks kept generics out. The main Canadian patent on semaglutide lapsed in August 2020 after Novo Nordisk missed a maintenance fee, according to the Globe and Mail, and the eight-year data protection on Ozempic ran until January 4, 2026. Our explainer on why Canada was first walks through both.

What to watch next

  • Dr. Reddy's restart. The company's target is November 2026. We will update the Dr. Reddy's page when its supply returns.
  • Sevmia's launch. No date or price yet. Its database status will change from Approved to Marketed when Apotex starts selling it; the generic Wegovy page reads that status on every build.
  • Sandoz and Aspen launches. Both approved, neither sold. A launch would mean three or more makers on shelves.
  • The nine pending filings. Health Canada updates its review list every few months.
  • Public prices. The national generic pricing group has not published a tier for semaglutide. If it does, the price guide will say so.
Sources
  1. Apo-Semaglutide Injection: Incorrect dose display (RA-82679), Health Canada Recalls and Safety Alerts, 2026-09-25
  2. Notice of Compliance database: semaglutide, Health Canada, accessed 2026-10-22
  3. Sandoz Canada receives Health Canada regulatory approval for (Pr)Sandoz Semaglutide, a generic version of (Pr)Ozempic, Sandoz Canada Inc. (Newswire) [press release], 2026-09-18
  4. Generic submissions under review (list current as of 2026-08-31), Health Canada, page dated 2026-09-24
  5. Apo-Semaglutide Injection: Incorrect dose display (RA-82536), Health Canada Recalls and Safety Alerts, 2026-08-27
  6. Semaglutide Injection: Out-of-Specification (Impurity) (RA-82537), Health Canada Recalls and Safety Alerts, 2026-08-27
  7. Drug Product Database: semaglutide products, Health Canada, accessed 2026-10-22
  8. Pharmacy Benefact No. 1331: Generic pricing for Ozempic interchangeable grouping, private plans only, Alberta Blue Cross, 2026-08
  9. Semaglutide Injection: Incorrect Pen in Package (RA-82477), Health Canada Recalls and Safety Alerts, 2026-08-12
  10. Q1 FY27 earnings call transcript (Form 6-K, Exhibit 99.1), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. (SEC EDGAR) [company filing], 2026-07-28 (call held 2026-07-22)
  11. Aspen Pharmacare wins Canada approval for generic Ozempic after Novo patent expiry, Reuters (via BNN Bloomberg), 2026-07-20
  12. Pharmacy Benefact No. 1330: Generic semaglutide update, shortage of Dr. Reddy's semaglutide, Alberta Blue Cross, 2026-07
  13. Ozempic Savings Card Program Expanded for Patients with Private Coverage, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. (CNW/Newswire) [press release], 2026-07-06
  14. Pharmacy Benefact No. 1324: Generic semaglutide, upcoming ADBL listing and interchangeability, Alberta Blue Cross, 2026-06
  15. Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/Comparative Drug Index: semaglutide, Ontario Ministry of Health, last updated 2026-09-02, accessed 2026-10-22
  16. Canada approves first generic semaglutide for weight loss, Health Canada (news release), 2026-06-29
  17. Novo Nordisk Introduces Extra Savings for Canadians Who Choose Ozempic, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. (CNW/Newswire) [press release], 2026-05-26
  18. Generic semaglutide is now available in Canada. Where is the medication available and is it actually cheaper?, The Globe and Mail (Arisa Valyear), 2026-06-04 (updated 2026-06-08)
  19. Generic Ozempic is now about $100 a month across the country. Canadians are taking note, CBC News (Jennifer La Grassa), 2026-05-29
  20. Apotex launches Apo-Semaglutide Injection, a generic equivalent of Ozempic, in Canada, Apotex Inc. (Cision/Newswire) [press release], 2026-05-14
  21. Canada approves second generic semaglutide, the first G7 country to do so, Health Canada (news release), 2026-05-01
  22. Canada becomes the first G7 country to approve a generic version of semaglutide, Health Canada (news release), 2026-04-28
  23. Register of Innovative Drugs, Health Canada, page modified 2026-10-21 (register updated 2026-10-20)