Authorized Generic Ozempic

​For the past two years, Ozempic has been highly effective maintenance; it dropped my A1c from a pre-diabetic 6.3 to a perfectly normal 5.6. While the clinical results have been steady, the financial relief that I experienced today at the local Walmart was a milestone I have been tracking for months. The generic rollout has been highly anticipated, and this morning, the supply chain finally delivered those savings directly to me.

​Because of Canadian government involvement, the cost of the brand-name drug here was always substantially cheaper than south of the border. It averaged around 250 CAD a month, which is a stark contrast to the punishing 900 USD (roughly 1,250 CAD) out-of-pocket costs routinely seen at American pharmacies.

​However, the real tipping point came down to an administrative blunder. Canada recently became the first G7 nation to authorize generic versions of semaglutide. This happened largely because Novo Nordisk notoriously failed to pay a 250 CAD patent maintenance fee back in 2019.

​That single missed payment caused their Canadian patent to lapse permanently. It opened the door for Health Canada to approve generics years before the US patent expires in 2032, and the financial impact on the ground is immediate and quite staggering.

​Let us look at the raw math for the standard 1.00 mg dose pen, drawn directly from my own purchase history at my uptown Walmart:

• ​March 2026: 246.12 CAD (173.53 USD) for Brand Name Ozempic
• ​Today: 89.39 CAD (63.02 USD) for Apotex APO-Semaglutide

​That is a 63.7% price drop. For anyone paying out of pocket, this changes the calculus entirely. Apotex clearly entered the Canadian market to aggressively undercut the brand name, rather than just offering a token discount. It is a brilliant bit of market disruption, and a very welcome break for the wallet.

Easy Medical Testing

Day 115 of Our Winter: We took a trip onto town today. I wanted to stop at the Asiri Labs for blood tests. It's been three months since I tested my A1c and I wanted to ensure I was still in the non-diabetic zone. It was and everything on my blood count report was fine too. My electrolytes were on the low end of normal but that is probably due to my attempts at ensuring I don't get dehydrated here. I read that as one ages, one cannot rely on thirst alone to get enough water. It's hot so I am ensuring I get enough. I was always aware of my salt intake, now I can proceed with wild abandon. Pass the potato chips, please!

   

I'm used to travelling with Ozempic pens now. I have a thermos with freezing gel that will keep three pens cold for a few days if unopened. I had those three new pens and a bit left in an existing one when we left on the last day of October.  I picked up a pen when we were were in Dubai over Christmas.  I expect to return to New Westminster with about five days before a scheduled weekly injection. Easy.

And One Year Later ...

It's been quite some time since I last created a journal entry about my Ozempic experiences. As I was prepping my small travel case for the flights to Barcelona, I decided it'd be useful to add one now. I'm still taking taking weekly injections and have been since last summer. Although I didn't start standard doseage until early in in the spring of 2025, I started the process around 13 months ago.

   

I'd say that I'm substantially more fit than last July. My weight has plateaued for four or five months now. This doesn't mean that I'm not still seeing the effects of the GLP-1 medicine. My bathroom scales attempt to show body composition and not simply is my BMI lower, but also are the readings of visceral fat. Because I'm supplementing, my protein levels are normal and I have increased total muscle mass. 

I had my A1c tested back in April and I was happy seeing a 5.8 down from an all-time high of 6.3. I'm fairly sure I'm already in the normal range because my periodic glucose tests are now standard. So on that front, things are peachy already! 

There was a belt I discovered in a dresser drawer that has no holes where they'd be needed now. I did donate all my size 38" waist pants and shorts to a thrift store and moved to 36". Most of them no longer feel snug and I am assuming that by next summer, I'll be able to downsize another couple of inches. 

So, it all feels like sort of a slow moving miracle. And there's even better news in Canada. It's not that I already pay less than a third of the prices charged in the US.  Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, neglected to file some important paperwork a few years ago protecting their exclusive patent rights.  So, beginning in January 2026, semaglutide will go generic here and a few companies have signaled their intent to provide generic versions.  That means the drug will probably drop to around $US50 or 60/month.  And many more people will be able to benefit from it sooner rather than later.

There's a Gadget, Device, or Product for Every Need

 

I snapped a couple of pictures for an Amazon review, so I thought I could leverage them as a journal entry too. I gave a good review for the contents of a package delivered today. It is a travel cooler for Ozempic pens. 

Last fall, I bought a large, thermos-type cooler to carry three pens during our winter in Mauritius and South Africa. It worked well but is about as large as a coffee thermos. 

We are leaving for one month in the Balkans on Sunday. I only need to take one Ozempic pen along for the ride and wanted something smaller. This case will reside in my backpack on our journey. Once open, an Ozempic pen doesn't really need to be refrigerated but cannot endure extreme heat. This won't matter on this trip as we will be staying in hotels and travelling by train or bus. 

This cost around US$ 8 and should do the job.

 

One Yard in Circumference

My weight hasn't decreased much since mid-February when I started taking a full 1mg weekly injection of Ozempic to reduce my A1c. I initially lost around 12 kg (26.5 lbs.) between last July and January even though I was on a lower dose. Yet, I'm seeing other changes. My bathroom scales report a few percent of my body fat has become skeletal muscle. My BMI has remained the same for a few months but my waistline is smaller.

 

We were uptown today and I bought some pants.

I cannot remember the last time I actually wore-out a pair.  In recent decades, I buy new ones or search the thrift store because I require a different size.  Presently, I am moving from size 38 to 36.  It's nice being comfortable in smaller pants.  I'm hoping that these will eventually have to be donated too. I'd really like to see myself with a 34" waist again.

I Can Have My Cake and Eat It Too

The apartment smells great because Jay made a vanilla, butter cake earlier this afternoon.

   

This one is for the traditional celebration of New Years in Sri Lanka. The actual date falls on Monday this year.  Many Asian cultures marked spring as the beginning of the year. The Sinhalese New Year has a lot of traditions and, of course, food is one of them. His Canadian version is scaled back but I still get some special foods.

I look forward to eating them. On a related note, I'll copy some data from yesterday's blood test work.  Patients can review all test results by logging onto a special web portal.  This allows patients to discuss the results with their family doctors. I was most interested in my A1c results.  During the last five years my blood sugar was sitting in a pre-diabetic range.  However, thankfully, my weekly Ozempic injections have pushed me back towards normal.

Conversion for Blood Glucose Measurement

Day 111: Hey, I just looked at the calendar and remembered we'll be headed back to British Columbia this month!  Our winter has been varied, interesting, and life-changing. Any good vacation should be those things.

  I will be looking forward to receiving some annual medical lab results at home. I want to see my A1c level now.

I periodically test my blood glucose with one of those small meters and test strips. I have noticed a reduction during my occasional, random testing. This surely has to do with my weekly Ozempic injections.  I was pretty pleased with today's numbers taken in the middle of the afternoon.

In Canada, standard home glucose meters are in mmol/L. Some units can show both scales but if I want to see mg/dL I just use a quicky online calculator.  Today's graphic was from this website.

Less is Better

Day 088: It's a day that's been a while in the making. After I stripped to get on the scales this morning, I was suddenly overweight! 

I have a set of those digital, Bluetooth bathroom scales on which one must use bare feet.  That allows them to calculate a whole load of stats other than just how heavy one is. I couldn't imagine not having access to all those numbers this winter. So, I brought the scales along for our winter away! I did hold off on bringing along the kitchen sink.

   

Today, I moved from the obese category to merely overweight. Back on July 27 of last year my BMI was recorded as 34.1  Using a Body Mass Index is not a perfect way to choose a suitable weight but it is a great screening tool. Today's score of 29.9 is hardly something to brag about, but it feels like it's taken a while to get here.

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I've been taking Ozempic since last summer, primarily as a means to bring down my A1c results of last spring showing a pre-diabetic 6.2.  The weight loss side-affect of the Semaglutide injections has likely made moving from 102.1 kg  (225 lbs.) to 89.5 kg (197 lbs.) less of a chore.  

Getting rid of an extra 28 lbs. seems pretty good until I realize there's a months-long road ahead.   I still have to drop more than that amount again to get to my weight goal of 75 kg (165 lbs.).

Sea Day 2/3 - Overeating Between Madagascar and the African Coast

Day 062:  The weather should be getting a little cooler as we slide out of the tropics and down between Madagascar and the African coast.  However, that hasn't been noticeable yet.  When we do disembark in Cape Town on the 17th, South Africa will be in the midst of its summer.

I took my weekly injection of Ozempic on Thursday, but there's only so much any drug can do.  Norwegian Cruise Lines sure makes eating easy.  All in such great quantities and qualities!  We have been walking 6 or 7 kilometers even on sea days.  Still, I think my weight is headed in the wrong direction.  Perhaps I'll need to spend our two months in South Africa getting back on track.

An Ozempic Status Report

I opened a new Ozempic pen this morning so I thought it might be a good day to add to some data about my experiences in today's post.  Today was the seventeenth time I have injected myself.

I took my first weekly injection on July 6th. During that entire first month I used the titration dose of 0.25 mg.  That initial time was to ensure my body could get used to the medicine.  There were most likely no therapeutic effects at the low dosage.  I did not experience the gastric problems that many patients have when starting Ozempic.  By the third day, I did notice the drug's effect on my appetite.  I no longer needed to have so much on my plate.  

During the following six weeks, I moved to the low maintenance dose of 0.5 mg.  This was when I started noticing changes in my weight and appearance.  

Subsequently, rather than moving up to the standard dose of 1 mg, I decided on trying just 0.65 mg per shot. That was the pen I used before today and it lasted for six injections.

 

So last week, I took my sixteenth shot making that a four-month point.  Because Ozempic is taken weekly, I waited until today to add some of my statistics here.  I'm not in a rush to lose weight.  It took a long time to put on and it's better if it takes a while to come off.  Old skin isn't as elastic as when someone's young.  Nature will give me sags and wrinkles without helping it out by rapid weight loss.

The most important reason for going on Ozempic was to lower my A1c results.  In the spring I tested at a 6.2. I wanted to lower that.  Although still high, this week's test showed a 6.0. At least it's moving in the right direction.

On July 27th, at the end of the titration dose regimen, I weighed 102.10 kg.  This morning I clocked in on the same scales at 92.3 kg.  So I'm pretty satisfied with the loss of 9.8 kg or about 21 lbs. in three months.  I set myself a somewhat daunting challenge with target-body weight goal of 75 kg. That works out to be about 17.3 kg (or 38 lbs.) more.

Importantly, my BMI, as calculated by my bathroom scales, dropped from 34.1 at its highest to today's 30.8.  In the next couple of weeks I can leave the category of obese and simply become overweight. I'm going to keep at watching what I eat and continue moving about a lot.  

That is practically guaranteed as we head away for the winter in a couple of weeks.  I bought a special medical thermos to transport three Ozempic pens in my carry-on.  The stuff is usually kept in the refrigerator until opened. The gel pack will keep it cool for up to 36 hours, they say.  I can pop the meds in the fridge when were arrive at our destinations.  While away, just to make it easy, I'm carrying enough to take 0.58 mg a week.  

My doctor and I will decide the course of action when I return to British Columbia in mid-March.

Wednesday's Walk

As today was Wednesday, it was one of my days to get in some walking. In order to get maximum benefits from my Ozempic, I'm determined to include a lot exercise as part of my routines. 

It's been nice reconnecting to the neighbourhoods that make up my compact city. Today, I included the 2.5 km trail along the eastern side of Queen's Park. Then I walked up 6th Avenue where I took today's picture. Next, I went into the uptown Walmart and back down 6th Street. It took me 1 hour and 21 minutes to travel 5.76 kilometers. I had an average Fitbit heart rate zone of 130 bmp and burned an estimated 903 calories.

The exercise is good for my body but the scenery is beneficial for my soul.

 

Blood Glucose of 88.3 mg/dl before Lunch

In Canada, blood glucose is usually measured in mmol/L as in the UK.

My most-recent, weekly, Ozempic injection was my 13th. I started on the drug near the beginning of July with a month at the introductory dosage. The next six weeks were at the standard maintenance dose. After week ten, my doctor and I decided against trying the standard 1.0 mg dosage. With my present injection pen, I'll continue taking 0.65 mg for three more weeks. 

Then, at the four-month mark, I will have more blood tests and get my first A1c results since spring. I don't do daily blood glucose readings at home, but rather just test occasionally. However, if I keep seeing optimum results like today's, I expect to drop back to a weekly 0.5 mg maintenance dose for our winter away.

Letting Fitbit Collect Some Data

Summer has returned to the area. It's even going to be downright hot tomorrow.

 

I walked uptown today while Jay went to a Burnaby Recreation Centre in Metrotown.  The change in elevation makes it a pleasant workout for me. As I was climbing the hill by our neighbourhood elementary school, I saw lots of parents walking with their little pupils in hand.  When I'm out walking and the adrenaline has kicked in, I feel great.  When the weather's like this, it helps.  

It took around me an hour and fifteen minutes to walk up to the Royal City Mall and back.  Inside, I picked up my first 4-mg Ozempic pen at the Walmart Pharmacy.  I had a telephone conversation with my doctor yesterday and he agreed that I could stick with the 0.5-mg dose as long as I felt comfortable doing so.  I still have one remaining dose.  And then, today's pen will last for two months.  I've always kept mine refrigerated.  We will see what my A1c levels look like before I need to finalize goals for our winter in the Middle East and Africa.  Additionally, I picked up a package of ankle length socks.  I came back home via Seventh Avenue and saw different scenery today.

On My Way Back Down

I didn't plan that this summer I'd again begin to take my health seriously. Back in 2012, I achieved a weight-loss goal of around 50 lbs.  Since then, slowly over time, I stopped paying attention and my weight has crept back up.  However, this has been over the course of a whole decade.

I got a renewed interest in shedding extra kilos this summer.  Perhaps it was more the idea of turning 65 than the view in my mirror.

Spring's lab results showing an A1c of 6.2 was assuredly a result of the whole cascade of unhealthy outcomes directly related to carrying around extra weight.  My mother died of juvenile-onset diabetes before she had a chance to get old.  I don't like the thought of now being pre-diabetic.

So, I'm at it again.  Twelve years ago, trying to lose weight was more of a chore.  I wasn't using a fitness tracker and I didn't have access to GLP-1 medications.

I just returned from a one-hour walk uptown and back.  There's about a 70-meter gain in elevation.  I vow to do this at least three or four times a week for the remainder of our autumn here.

Documenting Oneself for Oneself

Yesterday, my sister Laurie, messaged to ask how my Ozempic journey was going. For someone who takes a lot of pleasure documenting personal activities, my GLP-1 story has been a bit muted here.  It's just an injection that I take on Saturdays and there's not a whole lot to continually comment on.  But here goes ...

First, I started my beginning month at the suggested 0.25 mg per week on July 6th. Right from the third day, my food intake was affected.  I was not as hungry and decided I required a whole lot less.  It felt weird getting full after having so little.  Unlike others, I have had very few digestion related problems when taking it.  

Subsequently, I moved to the 0.50 mg dose with the same pen on the fifth week.  Still I had no harsh gastrointestinal issues.  I did read that an uptake in fiber is good, so I returned to using psyllium husk powder daily.  I may have had a headache the day after my first dose at the slightly-increased level, but it could've been something quite unrelated.

Next, I will finish my second month on Ozempic this weekend.  I have lost some weight but I decided to only weigh myself on the same days that I take my injection. Interestingly, I have discovered that my Bluetooth bathroom scales can tell me a whole lot of things other than pounds or kilos.  I saw a decrease in my BMI but not a reduction in muscle mass.  To help avoid that I did buy protein power and now drink 30 grams per day since starting this process.

I am having some blood work next week and I have set up a doctor's appointment for the week after.  We can talk about whether I need to move to the standard 1 mg dose or simply stay at the maintenance level for a prolonged period.  

My real goal for starting Ozempic was to reduce my A1c level because I noticed this spring it had crept up to a 6.2.  I'd like to reduce that to 5.6.  In addition, continuing on Ozempic seems to have provoked me into thinking more seriously about my excess weight and the detrimental affects of carrying it around.  Looking back, the week the doctor wrote my prescription I weighed 102 kilograms on the clinic's scales.  (That's almost 225 lbs for those metrically-challenged among you.)  Right now, I envision my ideal weight should be 80 or maybe even 75 kg!

My sister also asked me whether I was getting any exercise.    

I think the few kilograms that I have already shed are helping to prompt me to be more active.  This morning, I felt especially happy to start walking uptown.  I will do that on a regular basis again.  You see, I live in downtown New Westminster, BC.  I'm lucky in not needing a gym membership.  Simply carrying my present weight to the uptown business district is a workout.  The rise in elevation, from our building's front door, is nearly equivalent to a 21-storey building. 

I've owned Pixel watches for a couple of years but never really looked into all the Fitbit integration aspects.  All of today's graphics are just screenshots saved from my morning walk.   How cool to turn something as pragmatic as exercise into a nerdy, numerical pursuit.  Look at all the data that I can generate in an hour!  This will help make sure I keep doing so.

New Tricks for an Old Dog

I ordered a couple of containers of protein powder from Amazon. That is certainly something unusual for me as I have always been severely allergic to any sort of gym or workout regimen.  However, recently because of changes to my diet I'm concerned about losing muscle mass while losing weight.

We eat a superbly healthy diet as far as the choice of foods we consume.  Jay and I eat identical things but he stays around 130 lbs and I've inched up over the last decade to 225 lbs.  So, I'm looking at not so much a change of diet as a change in the amount of food I eat.

Luckily, I started Ozempic™ last month in order to lower my blood sugar levels from the current pre-diabetic levels.  My goal is to be normal, if only for this one small thing!

The medicine's suppression of appetite is a pronounced and somewhat beautiful side effect for me.  I never experienced 'food noise' that some folks talk about.  But I never really knew what feeling full felt like.  I could barrel though as much food as was placed in front of me. Not wanting to finish every morsel on the plate is a new and somewhat odd experience for me.  Obviously, my body requires much less than it's been getting.

The addition of a morning protein drink to my routine feels like I've picked up a new hobby.  I bought eight small bottles of a different brand of protein drink at Walmart this afternoon.  I will reuse the 235 ml bottles.  I can mix my scoop of protein powder with a little milk by screwing on the small cap, and shaking vigorously.  Well, not too vigorously, as I don't want too much of a workout!

The Saturday Morning Blues

This morning, I snapped only three photos and two were predominately blue.  The first was at the Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam. 

We generally do grocery shopping on Saturday mornings and today we kept to that routine. I hadn't charged my car since before my sister was here, so I plugged in for about thirty-five minutes while we were in the store.  My car went from a 39% charge to 72% during this interval.  These particular chargers are in a high-volume area, so they have a maximum charging limit of just 40 minutes.  I noticed that BC Hydro, our provincial electricity producer, now charges 40¢ per minute for idle time once the max is met. That would surely add up quickly!  I spent CA $9 which is about US $6.49 these days. 

 

The other photograph, containing something blue, is an image of my initial Ozempic pen. 

This is the fifth week, I've been on it. During the first month, one is prescribed a titration dosage. The smaller weekly amount is to get one's body used to GLP-1 injections.  That most probably provided very little therapeutic effect on my blood glucose levels. On my last A1c lab test I was at 6.2. I did, however, notice an immediate effect on my food consumption. I no longer want to eat as much as I had. What a great side effect to help me get rid of some of this 40 lbs of extra weight! I had no gastrointestinal affects worthy of mention. 

Today is the first time I've injected 0.5mg. That's considered a maintenance-level dose and the doctor and I will determine whether I'll stay on it for a prolonged period or move to the 1mg regimen.

 

A Tool to Help Reduce My A1C

I gave myself a second weekly injection of 0.25 mg this morning.

Scheduling on Saturdays

I started something new today. I began a 'sharps' container.