Hims begins offering generic semaglutide in Canada

Hims & Hers Health said on May 21, 2026 that it has begun offering Canadians a generic version of semaglutide made by Apotex Inc. through its telehealth platform ^[2]. The company called it its first international generic GLP-1 offering ^[1][2].

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic and its weight-loss drug Wegovy ^[2]. The expiry of Novo's Canadian patent on semaglutide has opened the market to copies of the branded product, and several drugmakers are moving in ^[1][2].

What was approved and when

Health Canada approved Apotex's generic earlier in May 2026, and the company launched it the following week under the name Apo-Semaglutide Injection, indicated for once-weekly treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes ^[1][2]. Apotex is described as the largest Canada-based global health company ^[1][2].

It is not the only one. Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy's Laboratories received Health Canada clearance in April 2026 and has also launched a generic semaglutide in Canada ^[1][2]. Reuters reported that Health Canada approved a second generic version of Ozempic on May 1, 2026 ^[2].

On price, Reuters reported that Ozempic in Canada ranges from about C$200 to C$400 per month depending on dose, region and insurance — roughly US$145 at the top-line exchange rate Reuters cited of 1.3767 Canadian dollars to the US dollar ^[2]. Hims said Canadians will be able to get personalized plans starting at C$149 per month ^[1][2].

"When more affordable options enter the GLP-1 space, it becomes more dynamic, and prices fall across the board. That benefits patients everywhere, regardless of where they seek care," said Sandy Van, chief medical officer at Hims & Hers Canada ^[1][2]. The company said it is open to partnering with other manufacturers in Canada but did not give details ^[1][2]. Apotex did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment ^[2].

The sources differ on who can get it

There is a discrepancy worth noting. The BNN Bloomberg version of the Reuters story says Hims is offering the generic to "Canadians with type 2 diabetes" ^[1]. The Reuters version says Hims will offer it as part of its weight-loss program, and adds that generic semaglutide is authorized for sale by Health Canada for the management of type 2 diabetes but that Hims "does not currently offer access to treatment services for the condition in the country" ^[2]. The sources do not resolve this conflict, and the exact clinical criteria Hims uses in Canada are not described in either report.

Why it matters for patients

For people in the United States, the immediate practical effect is none: this is a Canadian offering, priced in Canadian dollars, built on a Canadian patent expiry ^[1][2]. The sources say nothing about when semaglutide patents expire in the US, when a US generic might arrive, or whether Hims plans a similar US product. Those questions are not answered here.

What the news does show is how fast prices can move once patent protection lapses in a given country. Within about three weeks in Canada, two generic makers were approved and launched, and a telehealth company put a plan on the market starting at C$149 a month against a branded drug that had been running C$200 to C$400 ^[1][2].

It also matters because generics are approved for specific uses. The Canadian generics are authorized for once-weekly treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes ^[1][2]. That is a narrower label than obesity treatment, and the Reuters account suggests Hims is nonetheless folding the product into a weight-loss program ^[2]. The sources do not explain how that squares with the approved indication.

One more caution: a Canadian generic is not the same thing as a compounded product or a drug bought from an unverified overseas seller. Apo-Semaglutide Injection went through Health Canada review ^[1][2]. The sources do not address whether US residents can legally import it, and that question is outside what was reported.

What happens next

Hims said it is open to additional Canadian manufacturing partnerships but shared no timeline ^[1][2]. Whether more generic semaglutide makers enter Canada, and how far prices fall from the current C$149-and-up starting point, is not yet known from these reports. Nothing in the sources indicates a US launch date for any generic semaglutide.