Health Canada warns of counterfeit Ozempic and Mounjaro sold by retailers and online

Health Canada issued advisory RA-81518 on September 11, 2026, warning that unauthorized and counterfeit versions of Ozempic and Mounjaro are being sold by retailers and online, and urging Canadians to buy GLP-1 medications only from licensed pharmacies ^[1]. Ozempic is the brand name for semaglutide; Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide.

The warning lands as Canada becomes the second country in the world, and the first in the G7, to authorize a generic version of semaglutide ^[1]. Health Canada cleared Dr. Reddy's generic semaglutide on April 28, 2026, and later authorized Apotex ^[1]. As of the advisory, three of nine generic semaglutide products filed in Canada had been approved, and eight additional submissions were still under review ^[1].

Generic semaglutide from Dr. Reddy's and Apotex has been shipping to Canadian pharmacies since early August 2026 ^[1]. In August, Novo Nordisk launched a savings card aimed at uninsured Canadians that aligned Ozempic's price with generics; the program excludes Quebec and works through Rexall pharmacies ^[1]. Novo Nordisk's Canadian generic market exists because the company stopped paying a C$250 annual patent maintenance fee in 2018, a decision that ultimately let generic semaglutide reach Canadian pharmacies in 2026 ^[1].

Prices on the generic side are set by a tiered system: the first generic entrant prices at 75% to 85% of the brand price, falling to 35% once three or more generics reach the market ^[1]. Canadian benefits plans have been preparing for a 65% list-price cut when a third generic launches, with Sandoz targeting the third quarter of 2026 ^[1].

This is not Health Canada's first warning in this area. In early August 2026, the agency renewed warnings about unauthorized GLP-1 products sold outside licensed pharmacies, in the same period that Sandoz estimated a monthly price of $200 to $400 for its proposed generic tirzepatide ^[1]. Specifics of advisory RA-81518 — how many products were identified, which sellers were named, or whether any product was seized — have not been reported ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Health Canada's instruction in the advisory is narrow and practical: buy from licensed pharmacies ^[1]. A widening gap between brand and generic prices is the kind of environment in which discount offers spread faster than verification does, and Canada now has both a brand-name semaglutide priced down through a savings card and multiple generic versions in the same market ^[1].

The advisory does not say what was found in the counterfeit products, so there is no public information yet on whether they contained the wrong molecule, a wrong dose, or no active ingredient at all ^[1]. It also does not address sellers in the United States; RA-81518 is a Health Canada notice about products sold in Canada ^[1].

For readers in the US, the advisory is a data point about how counterfeit GLP-1 supply follows price competition, not a statement about the US supply chain. What is sold through licensed US pharmacies and what is sold by unverified online sellers are separate questions, and this advisory does not answer the second one ^[1].

What happens next

Eight generic semaglutide files remained under Health Canada review as of September 8, 2026 ^[1]. The count of pending semaglutide files has not been steady in public reporting: it was described as seven in early August and eight in September ^[1].

A third generic approval is the trigger for the 35%-of-brand price tier, and Sandoz has pointed to the third quarter of 2026 ^[1]. Whether a third product has been approved or launched has not been reported ^[1].

Health Canada's overall generic queue topped 500 submissions as of August 2026, with more than 100 backlogged ^[1]. No date has been given for decisions on the remaining semaglutide files ^[1].