Ozempic Reimbursed in Alberta, Canada for Adults Living with Type 2 Diabetes

Novo Nordisk announced that Ozempic (semaglutide injection) will now be publicly reimbursed in the province of Alberta in Canada.

“Diabetes is a significant public health issue across Alberta. It’s estimated over 1.1 million Albertans have diabetes or prediabetes. By 2026, diabetes rates are expected to increase by 50 percent in our province,” said Dr. Stuart Ross, an endocrinologist at LMC Healthcare and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

“When not managed properly, diabetes can cause serious, but preventable health problems. Having public access to effective treatment options, like a once-weekly semaglutide injection, is essential for Albertans living with Type 2 diabetes,” he added.

Ozempic is a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated alongside diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with Type 2 diabetes when metformin is inappropriate.

Ozempic can also be used with metformin, sulfonylurea and basal insulin with metformin.

This announcement follows the approval of Ozempic in January of 2018.

Ozempic was extensively studied in the SUSTAIN clinical trial program, which involved more than 8,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes.

In the SUSTAIN program, Ozempic was studied in combination with oral antidiabetic agents and basal insulin.

Type 2 diabetes impacts a person’s quality of life, and if blood glucose levels remain high, it can also be life-threatening,” said Vicky Chan, vice president, clinical development, medical, and regulatory affairs, of Novo Nordisk Canada.

We believe that Ozempic has the potential to further improve the treatment of adults living with Type 2 diabetes and we thank the government of Alberta for their commitment to offering Canadians with Type 2 diabetes innovative treatment options,” she added in a statement.

More About Ozempic

Ozempic is a once-weekly analog of human GLP-1 designed to mimic natural sugar metabolism by stimulating insulin and suppressing glucagon secretion in a glucose-dependent manner.

Ozempic® (semaglutide injection) product image. Source: Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. (CNW Group/Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.)

Ozempic is available in a prefilled pen, based on the latest generation of Novo Nordisk prefilled devices. For more information, see the full press release here.