GLP-1 sales in Canada on pace to set a new record this year

Skyrocketing sales for GLP-1 drugs have had a huge effect on pharmacies, drug makers and health-technology companies in recent years, and new sales data show the momentum continues to accelerate.

GLP-1s are drugs that mimic certain gut hormones and are used to treat conditions such as diabetes and weight management.

The most well-known drugs in the category include the ubiquitous Ozempic from Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk A/S NVO-N and its sister drug Wegovy (both of which contain the active ingredient semaglutide), as well as Mounjaro and Zepbound (active ingredient: tirzepatide) from U.S. drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. LLY-N

Ozempic has been by far the best-selling drug in Canada for the last few years, and is on pace to set a new record in 2026. About $1.49-billion worth of Ozempic was sold in retail pharmacies in the first half of this year, plus $455-million worth of Wegovy, $311-million of Mounjaro and $124-million of Zepbound, according to aggregated prescription data collected by IQVIA Canada, an analytics company. (All prices include pharmacy markup and dispensing fees.)

For the first time, the sales data include generic forms of semaglutide, which became legal in Canada this year. IQVIA reported that Canadian manufacturer Apotex Health Corp. APTX-T sold $15-million of its version of semaglutide before June 30, while India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. RDY-N sold just $1-million.

Sales were modest so far, as the products only hit shelves in the past few weeks of the reporting period. As well, Dr. Reddy’s disclosed in July it was having issues with its facility making semaglutide and expected to have supply shortages until late in the year.

Added up, that was about $2.4-billion worth of GLP-1 drugs sold in Canada in the first half of 2026 – more than was sold in all of 2023. If the performance repeats in the latter half of the year, total sales of $4.8-billion would overshadow the $3.9-billion spent on these drugs in 2025.

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