18 August 2022 - High demand in the United States for a new weight-loss medication has indefinitely delayed its arrival in Canada, prompting many Canadians to seek prescriptions for an almost identical drug that has been approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

An analysis by CADTH and obtained by The Globe and Mail found that, in some provinces, 36% to 74% of non-public drug plan claims for Ozempic (prescriptions paid for through private or federal drug plans or out of pocket) were from people who likely did not have type 2 diabetes, indicating the medication was likely being used for weight loss – an example of what is known as off-label use.

Read Globe and Mail article