GLP-1 and "GLP-2" in Canada: what they cost, and how to get them
Last checked August 24, 2026. Prices move — verify before deciding.
The Canadian market changed more in 2026 than in the five years before it. Novo Nordisk let its Canadian semaglutide patent lapse, Health Canada approved the first generic in April, and the price of the same molecule now spans roughly four-fold depending on which box it comes in. Most of the advice online predates all of that.
Which is which, in the names people use
"GLP-1" means semaglutide — Ozempic, Wegovy, and now the generics. One receptor. "GLP-2" is what people call tirzepatide — Mounjaro and Zepbound. It is not a second-generation GLP-1; it acts on GLP-1 and a second receptor called GIP, which is why it produces more weight loss and, oddly, usually less nausea.
Strictly there is no such drug class as GLP-2, and the third one people ask about — "GLP-3", meaning retatrutide — is not approved anywhere and cannot be bought legally. The full explanation is here. For this page, the names above are all you need.
| Option | Class | What it is | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generic semaglutide | GLP-1 | Apo-Semaglutide and other generics, approved April 2026The cheapest route. Copies Ozempic's doses, so it is prescribed for diabetes; off-label weight-loss prescribing is at your prescriber's discretion. | ~$88–150 / month |
| Ozempic (brand) | GLP-1 | Novo Nordisk semaglutide, diabetes indicationNow the expensive way to get the same molecule as the generic. | ~$250–310 / month |
| Wegovy (brand) | GLP-1 | Semaglutide at higher, obesity-indicated dosesStill brand-only in practice. The first generic (Sevmia) was approved June 29, 2026 but is not stocked in pharmacies yet. | ~$400–570 / month |
| Mounjaro / Zepbound | Dual — the "GLP-2" | Tirzepatide — a different molecule, acting on GLP-1 and GIPNo generic exists. More effective on average and often better tolerated; there is no cheap route to it yet. | ~$300–540 / month |
The coverage situation, stated plainly
No provincial plan covers Wegovy for weight loss. Ozempic and Mounjaro are generally covered only for type 2 diabetes. Roughly a third of Canadian employers include GLP-1s in their benefits, and most of those restrict it to diabetes as well. So for weight loss specifically, the realistic assumption is that you are paying cash — which is exactly why the generic launch matters so much.
Generic and brand are the same molecule
A Health Canada–approved generic has to demonstrate bioequivalence to the reference drug. Apo-Semaglutide is semaglutide, the same as Ozempic. What differs is the price, the pen device, and the approved dose range — the generics copy Ozempic's doses rather than Wegovy's higher obesity-indicated ones.
Where to actually ask
Your family doctor can prescribe any of these. If you do not have one, Canadian telehealth services (Felix and others) run the consult online and ship to your door — convenient, and usually more expensive than a pharmacy fill on a generic. Pharmacy prices vary more than people expect: the lowest generic pricing reported so far has been at Costco, whose pharmacy you can use without a membership.
About the grey market
Research-chemical vials sold online are unapproved drugs. Purity and concentration are unverified, there is no recourse if a vial is wrong, and the price advantage over a $88–150 generic has largely evaporated in Canada. Whatever the case was for it a year ago, the arithmetic has changed — this is the main practical reason to revisit the decision.
And about "compounded semaglutide" specifically
This is the one most likely to be offered to you by something that looks legitimate — a clinic, a telehealth service, a med-spa — rather than by an obvious grey-market site. It sounds like a pharmacy product because a pharmacy is involved.
It is not permitted in Canada, and the regulators have said so directly. Alberta's College of Pharmacy stated flatly that unauthorised compounding of semaglutide-containing products is not permitted, and the reasoning is clean: compounding is meant to fill a gap, the gap here was a shortage of the real thing, and that shortage is over. There is an approved generic at $88–150 now. Whatever case existed has been filled.
Why a clinic can offer it anyway, and what a prescription does and does not tell you, is its own subject.
Wondering how these compare to the newer dual and triple agonists — and what is actually approved? That comparison is here.
Once you are on something, the thing that gets hard is the record-keeping: which site you injected last, when the vial expires, and whether last week's nausea lined up with a dose change. Titr keeps that log, and plots your weight against every dose change. Or start with the reconstitution calculator.
This page is general information, not medical advice, and not a recommendation of any specific treatment or provider. Prescribing decisions belong to you and a licensed healthcare professional.