Generic weight-loss drug approval ‘really good news,’ but doctor warns of long-term consequences

Canada approves a generic alternative to Ozempic and Wegovy. Geneviève Beauchemin has more on the cost and the potential impacts.

MONTREAL – Health Canada’s approval of the generic version of semaglutide, commonly known as Ozempic, has been heralded as a sea change in improving accessibility to a life-changing drug.

Still, experts also warn this is no time to throw the door wide open to weight-loss drugs.

“The approval is really good news. It increases equity which is important,” said Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, a professor of medicine at McGill University. “People need treatments for excess weight and a lot of medical conditions associated with obesity. So, these semaglutides are incredible tools.”

But she also says their effectiveness and increasing availability pose several questions.

“The negative side is that it might become a bit too easy to not try to make our environments healthier,” she said.

Part of her concern is that the increasing availability of the drug could put a tighter focus on weight loss, and less emphasis on improving all aspects of public health linked to sedentary lifestyles that can lead to obesity.

Ian Patton is the director of advocacy and public engagement for Obesity Canada and says he has lived with obesity most of his life. He welcomes news of the first generic semaglutide approval.

“It’s exciting because people living with obesity haven’t had a lot of options that are effective, evidence-based treatments for a long time,” said Patton, a father of two children.

He says that more than a decade ago, he became quite ill and sought treatment. He underwent bariatric surgery and supplements his care with semaglutides.

“It’s not the right tool for everyone, but for me, it was absolutely life changing,” said Patton. “For me, having food noise was all consuming. It took so much mental power just to get through the day, to focus on the things that I needed to focus on.

“I had this voice in the back of my head that was chirping at me. It was an uncontrollable food drive, and having a treatment that allows me to gain control has been very impactful,” he continued.

Dasgupta says she has seen the quality of life for several patients after treatment with semaglutides and other weight-loss medication.

“I am looking at their blood tests getting better, their blood pressure is better, and I am taking away medications,” she said. “Some of them feel so much better, and say ‘I am going to move more, and I am going to run this marathon.’”

But the number of Canadians living with obesity has climbed significantly over the past few decades. Dasgupta says governments should fund surveillance programs for people with pre-diabetes to improve access to dieticians and exercise counselling sessions.

“We live in this environment of a market economy, where people are encouraging us to eat,” said Dasgupta, adding that Canadians live increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

She says semaglutides reduce the need for drugs to treat high blood pressure, devices to treat sleep apnea, and other conditions. This has been a lifeline for many struggling with their weight, including patients who have lived with lifelong obesity.

“Under the right circumstances, they really help,” she said. “But are we going to have 30 to 50 per cent or more of the population taking a medication to combat what’s going on? We need to make sure we keep working on our environments.”