Quebec pharmacies face shortage of generic semaglutides

Quebec pharmacists across say they can't meet the demand for semaglutides, the active ingredient in the popular drug Ozempic.

Pharmacists across Quebec say they can’t meet the demand for semaglutides, the active ingredient in the popular drug Ozempic, especially since there are new generic versions of the drug available at a fraction of the price.

“In all my years of practice, I haven’t seen a drug that exploded so much, so quickly,” said Fady Kamel, owner of Proximed in the Galeries des Sources in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

Now that several generic versions of the drug that have been approved by Health Canada, he said the demand is even greater.

While Ozempic can cost up to $400 a month, generic versions cost as low as $100 a month. Kamel said his customers have been requesting the drugs, but there is not enough to fill their orders.

“They shipped us like one or two packages,” he said. “After that, you know there’s no more. There’s a big shortage now.”

The shortage is affecting pharmacies across the province, according to the Quebec Association of Pharmacy Distributors (AQDP).

“We’re putting in as wholesalers purchase orders with manufacturers every single week trying to get as much as possible and meet the needs of patients and pharmacies, but it will take a few weeks and months before the manufacturing community is able to meet the demand,” said AQDP executive director Hugues Mousseau.

Mousseau said the problem is that manufacturers can’t keep up with demand, since Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic patent ran out in Canada at the beginning of the year. The patent also ran out in several other countries, including China and India, which is also putting pressure on the limited supply.

Mousseau said it’s also due to popularity of the Ozempic, which is still growing.

“The fact that it’s been the largest-selling drug in Canada for six years in a row speaks to the kind of demand and strength of the demand,” he added.

That means patients in Quebec who want to use it for weight loss will have to wait longer for the cheaper generic versions.

Both Mousseau and Kamel said there is no shortage of Ozempic, but Quebec’s health insurance (RAMQ) currently only covers the cost of the drug for Type 2 diabetes.