How Equitable is responding to the generic Ozempic shortage

Health Canada recently approved generic versions of Ozempic for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. The generic has been deemed interchangeable with the brand drug in some provinces.

Since then, however, a severe and widespread shortage of generic Ozempic has occurred across the country and among major drug distributors.

What this means for drug plans with generic pricing

Our pharmacy benefits manager, TELUS Health, normally limits reimbursement to the cost of the generic for clients who have drug plans with generic pricing once the province deems it interchangeable. This helps lower costs for clients and members.  

Otherwise, plan members taking Ozempic would only be reimbursed up to the cost of the generic, even if the generic isn’t available. If a plan member filled the brand-name version, they would be responsible for paying the difference in cost.

How we’re protecting plan members

To help protect plan members from excessive out-of-pocket costs, we’ve chosen to align with TELUS Health’s decision to delay applying these limits while the generic Ozempic supply remains unstable.

We will work to monitor availability of the generic and update you as supply changes and once interchangeability limits are applied. In the meantime, you may wish to remind your clients that this approach is intended to support smoother access for their plan members while the generic supply may be inconsistent.

We will share this information with your clients.