Starting May 6, Weight-Loss Medication Wegovy Will be Available in Canada

The makers of Ozempic announce that their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be accessible to patients in Canada starting on May 6.

Novo Nordisk’s weekly injection is sanctioned for weight reduction in patients diagnosed with obesity.

Wegovy can be prescribed to patients who are significantly overweight and have at least one related medical issue such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnea.

Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam from Obesity Canada emphasizes that obesity is a severe medical condition and Wegovy serves as an essential treatment option, not for cosmetic purposes.

Containing the same semaglutide medication as the diabetes drug Ozempic, Wegovy is delivered at a higher dose.

Related Stories

“(Wegovy) augments the tools available to all clinicians dealing with many patients grappling with obesity,” expressed Dr. Sockalingam, the scientific director for Obesity Canada.

It is meant to be used along with physical activity and proper nutrition, he added.

Obesity Canada will revise its medication recommendations to incorporate Wegovy, as stated by Dr. Sockalingam.

Health Canada granted approval to Wegovy in November 2021 based on research indicating significantly greater weight loss in semaglutide-treated individuals compared to those treated with a placebo.

Physicians can prescribe it to patients with obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kilograms per square meter or higher.

Additionally, Wegovy can be prescribed to overweight patients with a BMI of 27 kilograms per square meter if they have at least one weight-related medical condition such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, or obstructive sleep apnea.

Wegovy emerges following extensive promotion of Ozempic and a surge in demand driven by social media for off-label use of that drug for weight loss. It is crucial that prescribers, including family doctors, ensure that Wegovy is only administered to patients meeting specific criteria.

“Physicians are ultimately responsible for this, and we hope to see responsible prescribing of the medication,” stated Dr. Ehud Ur, an endocrinologist in Vancouver.

Dr. Sockalingam emphasized the necessity of precision when prescribing Wegovy, focusing on medical rather than cosmetic or aesthetic purposes.

“This is a medical treatment for a medical condition.”