Costco has announced that they will be selling Ozempic in over 500 stores across America. Although Ozempic is intended as a type-2 diabetes medication, many use it as a weight loss agent.
In Canada, semiglutides were under patent up until Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, failed to pay the patent fee in 2019, causing the patent to expire. Due to the expiration, similar generic products are expected to be sold starting in 2026 at a much cheaper price.
Dr. Jacob Shelley, a co-director of the Health Ethics, Law & Policy (HELP) Lab at Western says “going off patent and having more generics will certainly make it more affordable for a wider array of individuals, particularly those who don’t have current pharmaceutical benefits”
Currently in Canada monthly payments for Ozempic can be as high as $400 dollars.
As semiglutides could become more popular, better access to care and treatment needs to be addressed as “they remain highly stigmatized biased patient group simply because of their weight.”
