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The price in Canada is ~$175 USD month for name brand Ozempic where I am with no coupons, or other discounts. I see prices in the US around $800+/month. That i
by dghlsakjg 1y ago
The price in Canada is ~$175 USD month for name brand Ozempic where I am with no coupons, or other discounts. I see prices in the US around $800+/month.
That is significantly cheaper than the US, and cheaper than other GLP-1 class drugs up here, arguably reasonable. Is the supposition that they would have been forced to charge even less? If so, why are their competitors who kept their patents not charging more?
Counterpoint: Mounjaro/Tirzepatide did keep their patent protection. They are able to, and do, charge significantly more.
- SoftTalker 1y agoEveryone I know taking these is buying generic compounded formulas. Insurance mostly doesn’t cover it so the go for the cheaper options.
- dghlsakjg 1y agoThat doesn't figure into the pricing strategy or giving away patent protection in Canada in 2018 as far as I can tell? Compounding isn't allowed in Canada, currently, so I assume you are talking about the US? Compounding Ozempic in the US wasn't a thing in 2018 when this patent was released in Canada, so not sure what one has to do with the other. What are you getting at in reference to the argument that the patent was released intentionally in order to charge a higher price?
- SoftTalker 1y agoYes I’m in the USA. I just mentioned that because nobody I know is paying $800/mo. They are buying compounded injections online.
- fragmede 1y agoroughly how much are they paying, then?
- SoftTalker 1y agoProbably half that, or less.
- addaon 1y agoI pay about $300 for a “one month supply”, which lasts me around 12 weeks.
- Marsymars 1y ago> Compounding isn't allowed in Canada, currently How does this work? Why/when would compounding not be allowed?
- dghlsakjg 1y agoIf health Canada determines there is a shortage, compounding is allowed. Health Canada has determined that there is no longer a shortage.
- wasabi991011 1y ago> Compounding isn't allowed in Canada I'm not sure why you think that, compounding is allowed, I live right be a compounding pharmacy. And confirmed it's legal through google.
- dghlsakjg 1y agoI should be more specific. Compounding Ozempic isn't allowed since it is not considered to be a shortage anymore by Health Canada.
- malfist 1y agoCompounding isn't some shady enterprise. Its a standard medical use case. I have to use metronidozol cream on my face, but I'm allergic to some preservatives, so a compounding pharmacy makes a version of metronidozol cream without my allergens. It's also relatively common for toddlers who need special doses, or for people who can't swallow pills and need liquid formulations. Compounding is normal.
- dghlsakjg 1y agoMy comment was in reference to compounding for straight Ozempic prescriptions, which is currently not allowed in Canada since it is not in shortage. I was making no judgement on compounding generally.
- whimsicalism 1y agoyes, the US govt is being shockingly lax in its IP enforcement here. i suspect it would be much harder to acquire if ozempic/wegovy were produced by an American company
- kristianp 1y agoDoes the government/medical insurance subsidise that price though?
- beached_whale 1y agoNo, with drug patents the price is the average of a basket of similar countries, including the US. There is bulk buying for some medications by governments, but it depends. Most people are using private drug insurance in Canada.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- loeg 1y agoThe US price for name brand is around $500/mo. More than $175, but not $800.
- metaltyphoon 1y agoOnly now at Costco. It used to be much higher
- loeg 1y agoNo. Directly from Novo, prior to the Costco announcement. The only thing that changes with Costco is you can get the auto-injector version for that price, instead of vials.
- metaltyphoon 1y agoI always thought they had auto-injectors
- jdsully 1y ago500 usd = 700 cad. So probably more an imprecise currency issue.