Brantford, Ont. pharmacy already seeing demand for weight loss drug Wegovy
Canadians struggling with obesity have another option at the pharmacy.
Wegovy, from the company behind Ozempic, is now available across Canada.
In Brantford, Ont., pharmacist Ramez Girgis has been helping customer Yvette with her weight loss journey.
“I was on Ozempic,” she explained to CTV News. “However, it was recommended that I go over to Wegovy because it’s covered by my health insurance.”
She came into Guardian Discount Pharmacy on Wednesday to pick a different prescription when Girgis let her know the drug was now in stock.
“This is terrific for me, to assist in getting my health back,” Yvette explained.
She’s not alone.
“We, at Guardian, started two patients on Wegovy already. Their insurance covered it,” Girgis said.
There’s been so much interest in the drug that he’s been fielding calls from curious customers before it was even available in Canada.
Wegovy is an injectable drug that people take on a weekly basis. It contains the same medication as Ozempic – semaglutide.
“It works by sending a message to your brain, to let the brain know: ‘I am full, I don’t need any more food,’” explained Girgis.
But there are differences between the two drugs. Wegovy, unlike Ozempic, was specifically created to help people who meet a certain criteria related to their weight.
“The patient’s body mass index has to be 27, with a co-morbid chronic medical condition – diabetes, hypertension, whatnot,” Girgis said. “The other thing is, if the patient’s body mass index is 30 and above, they are good candidates for Wegovy.”
Not just anyone can take the drug, however.
It must be prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional, like a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Girgis also explained that people with a history of thyroid cancer, pancreatic or kidney problems, or have serious allergies to semaglutide, wouldn’t be good candidates for Wegovy. He said the drug has 2.4 milligrams of semaglutide in the weekly injectable, compared to the 1.0 milligrams in a single Ozempic dose.
READ MORE: How Wegovy works and reported side effects
Wegovy is expected to cost patients about $400 a month and it’s not clear if medical insurance plans will cover it.
Girgis said he’s encouraged by what he’s seen so far.
“I would say it’s too early to see all the insurance companies jumping in to cover that for weight loss. But as of yet, I’ve seen actually two insurances that are already covering patients for Wegovy.”
Girgis also hopes on-label use of Wegovy will cut down on shortages associated with off-label use of Ozempic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE @ 11 ET Following Trump's conviction in hush money case, he is set to hold news conference
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee will likely look to cast the conviction and his campaign in a new light.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
opinion Six ways to put your saving on autopilot and pay yourself first
In his latest personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew explains how automating your savings and paying yourself has never been easier, thanks to the digital banking tools and apps that are out there.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
ANALYSIS Will Donald Trump go to prison? What the precedent says
Now that the jury in Donald Trump's criminal trial has made the historic decision to convict him, the judge overseeing the case will soon face a monumental choice: whether to sentence the 2024 Republican presidential candidate to time behind bars.
Reactions pour in to Donald Trump's first-ever felony conviction for a former U.S. president
After hours of deliberations, a jury of Donald Trump's New York City peers convicted him on 34 counts, making him the first the former U.S. president in history with a felony conviction.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.