The Canadian generic semaglutide timeline

Canada is the first G7 country with generic semaglutide, and the prices you will pay everywhere else are being set here first. This page is the dated story in one place, updated as each step lands. Last dated event: 2026-08-25.

2019

  1. 2019

    The $450 maintenance fee goes unpaid

    Novo paid the annual fee on Canadian semaglutide compound patent CA 2,601,784 through 2018, then let 2019's go unpaid: $450 CAD with the late charge, about $331 USD. CIPO's letter set a one-year grace period and noted a lapsed patent cannot be revived. Novo never paid and the patent lapsed in 2020. The lapse did not cause the January 2026 data-exclusivity expiry, which ran on its own schedule; it surrendered the patent-plus-CSP tail that would have protected semaglutide to 2028, roughly two years. Novo maintains the non-payment was deliberate.

    Verified 2026-07-27 against Science.org (Derek Lowe), Reddie & Grose IP analysis, CNBC, and Fortune

2025

  1. 2025-12-22

    Plosbrio and Poviztra approved

    Health Canada approves Novo Nordisk's own lower-priced twins of Ozempic (Plosbrio) and Wegovy (Poviztra), 13 days before exclusivity expires. Neither has launched.

    Confirmed 2026-07-27; Health Canada calls them not generics and unconnected to the generic reviews

2026

  1. 2026-01-04

    Novo's semaglutide data exclusivity expires in Canada

    Canada becomes the first G7 country where generic semaglutide can be approved.

    Vault: canadian-generics thread

  2. 2026-04-28

    First Ozempic-label generic approved

    Health Canada approves Dr. Reddy's generic semaglutide, the first generic semaglutide in a G7 country.

    Health Canada news release, 2026-04-28

  3. 2026-05-01

    Second generic approved: Apo-Semaglutide

    Health Canada approves Apotex's Ozempic-label generic semaglutide.

    Health Canada news release, 2026-05-01; seven further generic submissions in review as of this date per canada.ca

  4. 2026-05

    Generics reach Canadian pharmacies

    Dispensing begins within weeks of approval at roughly $88-120 CAD a month, with Costco at $88-99.

    Published reporting captured 2026-07-26; pending our own pharmacy phone verification

  5. 2026-06-29

    Sevmia approved, the first generic Wegovy

    Health Canada approves Apotex's Sevmia, the first generic semaglutide for chronic weight management and the third generic semaglutide overall. Price unpublished; stocking estimated late July to August 2026.

    Health Canada release and Apotex announcement, 2026-06-30

  6. 2026-07-17

    A fourth manufacturer approved: Aspen

    Health Canada approves Aspen Pharmacare's Ozempic-label generic semaglutide, two product listings. It is not launched, and it sat in the public database unreported for 26 days.

    Health Canada Drug Product Database, DINs 02569930 and 02569949, read directly 2026-08-12 and re-read 2026-08-26; status Approved, no market date

  7. 2026-08-25

    Aspen adds a second product line, still selling nothing

    Health Canada approves two more Aspen listings under the name Semaglutide Injection, the same Ozempic-label pens. Aspen now holds four approved semaglutide products in Canada and has sold none of them.

    Health Canada Drug Product Database, DINs 02570912 and 02570920, read directly 2026-08-26; status Approved, no market date. Marketed generic manufacturers in Canada remain two: Dr Reddy's since 2026-05-06 and Apotex since 2026-05-14

the standing rules

  1. ongoing

    pCPA pricing tiers shape the generic price floor

    Under the pan-Canadian Tiered Pricing Framework, generic prices are percentages of the brand reference price, counted per brand reference category: 85% at one competitor, or 75% falling automatically to 55% after three months where the brand had a listing agreement; 50% at two competitors; and at three or more, 25% for oral solids but 35% for injectables and every other dosage form. Verified against the pCPA's own framework 2026-08-12.

    Framework rules as summarized in the canadian-generics thread and Health Canada's 2026-06-29 release

What happens next

  • Sevmia's price. The first generic Wegovy is approved but unpriced; stocking is estimated for late July to August 2026. The number publishes the moment it exists.
  • Plosbrio and Poviztra launch. Novo's own lower-priced twins of Ozempic and Wegovy have been approved since December 22, 2025 and never launched. Firing that weapon breaks the brand-vs-generic frame.
  • The third-competitor step. Once three or more competitors are on market in a brand reference category, the pCPA framework sets the price at 35% of brand for injectables. The 25% tier that gets quoted elsewhere applies only to oral solids. That step is what everyone downstream is waiting for.