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Regulator: Health Canada

GLP-1 drugs and peptides in Canada

In Canada, Health Canada decides which medicines can be sold. Semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide are approved for diabetes or weight management, and cheaper generic semaglutide has been sold since May 2026. Health Canada says injectable peptides without approval, such as BPC-157, are illegal to sell and it has seized them.

Last verified 2026-09-29 · how we verify

Official regulator site

GLP-1 medicines

Authorised in Canada (DPD, 2026-09): semaglutide as Ozempic and Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes) and Wegovy (chronic weight management in adults and in ages 12 to under 18, cardiovascular risk reduction, and MASH under the NOC/c policy); tirzepatide as Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes, adults and ages 10 to under 18) and Zepbound (chronic weight management and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, marketed since July 2025); liraglutide as Victoza (type 2 diabetes, adults and ages 10 and up) and Saxenda (weight management, adults and ages 12 to under 18); dulaglutide as Trulicity (type 2 diabetes). Exenatide products were cancelled in 2022. Generic semaglutide has been marketed since May 2026 (Dr. Reddy's and Apotex, both for type 2 diabetes). Sevmia (Apotex, weight management, approved 2026-06-29), Aspen and Sandoz (approved 2026-09-16) are listed in the DPD as approved but not yet marketed. Orforglipron and cagrilintide/semaglutide are under review. Health Canada's January 2026 advisory says only licensed pharmacies can legally sell prescription drugs and that authorised products carry a DIN. Novo Nordisk told the pCPA it would no longer seek public coverage of Wegovy in Canada, and BC PharmaCare lists Wegovy as a non-benefit (decision of 2025-12-18).

Peptides

Health Canada states that peptides are generally regulated as prescription drugs, that unauthorised drug products are illegal in Canada, and that a 'For Research Use Only' label does not make a product legal or exempt (advisory of 2026-04-09). Selling unauthorised injectable peptides is described as illegal in seizure notices from 2025 and 2026. The 2026-04-09 advisory lists examples it has seized: BPC-157, CJC-1295, DSIP, epitalon, GHK-Cu, HCG, ipamorelin, KPV, melanotan I and II, MOTS-c, NAD+, SS-31 (elamipretide), TB-500 and retatrutide. Other seizure notices name further products: Optimum Wellness Centre (2025-04-02) lists PT-141 (bremelanotide), Selank and kisspeptin-10; Canada Peptide (2025-08-01) lists more than 40, including AOD-9604, bremelanotide, kisspeptin, LL-37, Selank, Semax, sermorelin, tesamorelin and tirzepatide; Rize Fitness (2025-12-24) lists semaglutide, tesamorelin, AOD-9604 and kisspeptin, among others. Compounding pharmacies are not exempt: a Type I recall (2026-05-07) covered unauthorised BPC-157 and GHK-Cu powder supplied to compounding and community pharmacies. In sport, the WADA Prohibited List 2026 (which Sport Integrity Canada publishes for Canadian athletes) bans BPC-157 (S0), CJC-1295, sermorelin, tesamorelin, ipamorelin and AOD-9604 (S2.2), kisspeptin (S2.2.1), TB-500 (S2.3) and MOTS-c (S4.4). We did not find a Health Canada page that sets out a separate rule for individual possession for personal use, so none is stated.

Advertising rules

Only health products authorised for sale in Canada may be advertised. Under section C.01.044 of the Food and Drug Regulations, an advertisement of a prescription drug to the general public may only give the brand name, proper name, common name, price and quantity. PAAB explains that reminder advertisements are acceptable only if they do not link to the therapeutic use. Ads must not be false, misleading or deceptive, and PAAB and Ad Standards offer preclearance review and advisory opinions on advertising material. The Ozempic product monograph covers type 2 diabetes only, so weight-loss framing of Ozempic is outside its authorised use. On 2026-02-12 The Globe and Mail reported dozens of online-pharmacy GLP-1 ads that appeared to break these rules; Health Canada said it has taken action against several online pharmacies and, as reported, cannot impose fines itself, so breaches need court proceedings.

Every molecule in Canada

MoleculeStatusWhat it meansVerified
AmycretinNot approvedAmycretin is an investigational drug with no Health Canada authorisationDetails →source2026-09-29
AOD-9604ProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada seizure notices (2025) and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
BPC-157ProhibitedNot authorised; seized by Health Canada and subject to a Type I recall of unauthorised powder in May 2026Details →source2026-09-29
Bremelanotide (PT-141)ProhibitedNot authorised; Health Canada seizure notices in 2025 name bremelanotide (PT-141) as an unauthorised injectableDetails →source2026-09-29
Cagrilintide (and CagriSema)Under reviewCagrilintide with semaglutide (CagriSema) under review since March 2026; no cagrilintide product is authorisedDetails →source2026-09-29
CJC-1295ProhibitedNot authorised; named in seizure notices from 2025 and 2026 and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide)ProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's April 2026 advisory of seized unauthorised injectablesDetails →source2026-09-29
DulaglutideApprovedApproved as Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; no generic submissions on Health Canada's listDetails →source2026-09-29
EcnoglutideNot approvedEcnoglutide is an investigational drug with no Health Canada authorisationDetails →source2026-09-29
Elamipretide (SS-31)ProhibitedNot authorised; Health Canada named SS-31 (elamipretide) among unauthorised injectables it seized in April 2026Details →source2026-09-29
EloralintideNot approvedEloralintide is an investigational drug with no Health Canada authorisationDetails →source2026-09-29
EpitalonProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's seizure notices from 2025 and 2026Details →source2026-09-29
ExenatideNot approvedNo exenatide product is authorised on the market; Byetta and Bydureon were cancelled in 2022Details →source2026-09-29
GHK-Cu (copper peptide)ProhibitedNot authorised as an injectable drug; named in Health Canada's 2026 seizure advisory and a May 2026 Type I recallDetails →source2026-09-29
IpamorelinProhibitedNot authorised; named in seizure notices from 2025 and 2026 and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
KisspeptinProhibitedNot authorised; named in three Health Canada seizure notices (2025) and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
KPVProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's April 2026 advisory of seized unauthorised injectablesDetails →source2026-09-29
LiraglutideApprovedApproved as Victoza (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (weight management); no generic listed yet, 11 submissions pendingDetails →source2026-09-29
LL-37ProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's 2025 Canada Peptide seizure noticeDetails →source2026-09-29
Maridebart cafraglutide (MariTide)Not approvedMaridebart cafraglutide (MariTide) is an investigational drug with no Health Canada authorisationDetails →source2026-09-29
MazdutideNot approvedMazdutide is an investigational drug with no Health Canada authorisationDetails →source2026-09-29
Melanotan IIProhibitedNot authorised; Health Canada has seized melanotan I and II products (2025 and 2026 notices)Details →source2026-09-29
MOTS-cProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's April 2026 seizure advisory and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
NAD+ProhibitedInjectable NAD+ is not authorised; named in Health Canada's April 2026 advisory of seized unauthorised injectablesDetails →source2026-09-29
OrforglipronUnder reviewUnder review at Health Canada since January 2026 (Eli Lilly, new active substance); not yet authorisedDetails →source2026-09-29
PramlintideNot approvedNo pramlintide product is authorised in CanadaDetails →source2026-09-29
RetatrutideProhibitedNot authorised; Health Canada named retatrutide among unauthorised injectable drugs it has seized (April 2026)Details →source2026-09-29
SelankProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's 2025 seizure notices (Optimum Wellness Centre, Canada Peptide)Details →source2026-09-29
SemaglutideGenerics availableApproved as Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy; generic semaglutide approved from April 2026 and on sale since May 2026Details →source2026-09-29
SemaxProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's 2025 Canada Peptide seizure noticeDetails →source2026-09-29
SermorelinProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's 2025 Canada Peptide seizure notice and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
SetmelanotideApproved, restrictedApproved as Imcivree for weight management in acquired hypothalamic obesity, BBS and specific genetic deficienciesDetails →source2026-09-29
SurvodutideNot approvedSurvodutide is an investigational drug with no Health Canada authorisationDetails →source2026-09-29
TB-500 (thymosin beta-4 fragment)ProhibitedNot authorised; named in Health Canada's 2026 seizure advisory and banned in sportDetails →source2026-09-29
TesamorelinProhibitedNot authorised since Egrifta was cancelled in 2022; Health Canada has seized unauthorised tesamorelin (2025 notices)Details →source2026-09-29
TirzepatideApprovedApproved as Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes) and Zepbound (weight management, sleep apnea); no generic submissionsDetails →source2026-09-29

For experts

The regulatory detail

Approval. A drug is sold in Canada only after Health Canada authorises it and assigns an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN). New products go through new drug submissions, and some indications are authorised conditionally under the NOC/c policy (for example Wegovy's MASH indication). The Drug Product Database (DPD) lists every authorised product and its market status, and the monthly Submissions Under Review lists show pending files: orforglipron (Eli Lilly, accepted 2026-01) and cagrilintide/semaglutide (Novo Nordisk, accepted 2026-03) were on the list current as of 2026-08-31. Marketed GLP-1 products in the DPD are semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy and, since May 2026, generics from Dr. Reddy's and Apotex), tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) and dulaglutide (Trulicity). Health Canada approved the first generic semaglutide (Dr. Reddy's, type 2 diabetes) on 2026-04-28, making Canada the first G7 country to do so, followed by Apotex (2026-05-01), Sevmia (Apotex, the first generic for chronic weight management, 2026-06-29), Aspen and Sandoz (2026-09-16). As of 2026-08-31 the generic submissions list showed 9 semaglutide and 11 liraglutide submissions and none for tirzepatide, dulaglutide or exenatide. Compounding. Health Canada's compounding policy (POL-0051) leaves compounding to provincially regulated professionals, mainly pharmacists. It must be patient-specific, in limited quantities, based on a prescription and a patient-professional relationship, and use ingredients that are authorised or pharmacopoeial-grade. The policy says compounding should not copy a commercially available product except during a documented shortage and must not be used to bypass the federal review system. Copying a marketed product at scale is treated as manufacturing, which needs authorisation. Enforcement has centred on ingredient quality: in January 2025 a Calgary compounding pharmacy's semaglutide-plus-pyridoxine preparation was recalled because it was made with an unauthorised active pharmaceutical ingredient, and in May 2026 a Type I recall covered GHK-Cu and BPC-157 powders sold to compounding and community pharmacies as unauthorised ingredients. Importation. Section C.01.045 of the Food and Drug Regulations bars anyone other than a practitioner, drug manufacturer, wholesale druggist, pharmacist or foreign visitor from importing a prescription drug. Health Canada says it works with the Canada Border Services Agency to stop unauthorised shipments. We did not locate a current Health Canada page describing any personal-use importation exception, so none is described here. Coverage and price. Provincial and territorial plans decide public coverage, informed by CDA-AMC (formerly CADTH) recommendations and price negotiation through the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA). For Wegovy in adults with BMI 27 or more and established cardiovascular disease, the expert committee recommended reimbursement only with a price reduction; the pCPA closed negotiations without an agreement on 2025-12-01 (the manufacturer declined to negotiate) and BC PharmaCare listed it as a non-benefit on 2025-12-18. As reported by The Globe and Mail (2026-06-04), public plans already cover brand Ozempic for type 2 diabetes, the pCPA generic tiers price a generic at 50% of the brand with two manufacturers and 35% with three or more, and Apotex's generic had a wholesale price of CAD 78.14 per four weeks against CAD 240.48 for Ozempic before markups and insurance. Enforcement. Health Canada's advisories in this area are: a warning on fake or unauthorised GLP-1 products (2026-01-21); peptide seizures from Prime Research (2025-04-14), Optimum Wellness Centre in Calgary (2025-04-02), Canada Peptide (2025-08-01, a list of more than 40 products including unauthorised tirzepatide and retatrutide) and Rize Fitness in Vancouver (2025-12-24); and a public advisory on 2026-04-09 naming unauthorised injectable peptides it has seized. For authorised generics, Health Canada posted Type II recalls of specific Dr. Reddy's and Apotex semaglutide lots in August and September 2026 (a mislabelled pen, an out-of-specification impurity, and pens that may show and deliver the wrong dose).

Official sources we monitor

Recent changes in Canada

  1. 2026-09-18

    Health Canada approves Sandoz's generic semaglutide

    Sandoz Canada announced on 18 September 2026 that Health Canada had approved Sandoz Semaglutide, a generic version of Ozempic for adults with type 2 diabetes. It said it was preparing for commercialisation.

  2. 2026-04-28

    Health Canada approves the first generic semaglutide, a generic Ozempic from Dr. Reddy's

    Health Canada announced on 28 April 2026 that Canada had become the first G7 country to approve a generic semaglutide, approving Dr. Reddy's generic version of Ozempic for adults with type 2 diabetes.

Full timeline →

Sources (72)

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  2. 02Thinking about buying GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro? Beware of fake or unauthorized productsHealth Canada · 2026-01-21 · accessed 2026-09-29
  3. 03Policy on Manufacturing and Compounding Drug Products in Canada (POL-0051)Health Canada · 2009-01-26 · accessed 2026-09-29
  4. 04Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870), sections C.01.044 and C.01.045Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada · 2026 · accessed 2026-09-29
  5. 05Canada approves second generic semaglutide, the first G7 country to do soHealth Canada · 2026-05-01 · accessed 2026-09-29
  6. 06Canada approves first generic semaglutide for weight lossHealth Canada · 2026-06-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
  7. 07Generic submissions under review (list current as of 2026-08-31)Health Canada · 2026-08-31 · accessed 2026-09-29
  8. 08Drug and Health Product Submissions Under Review: New drug submissions under review (list current as of 2026-08-31)Health Canada · 2026-08-31 · accessed 2026-09-29
  9. 09Drug Coverage Decision for BC PharmaCare: semaglutide (Wegovy)BC Ministry of Health (PharmaCare) · 2025-12-18 · accessed 2026-09-29
  10. 10Generic semaglutide in Canada: availability, price and insuranceThe Globe and Mail · 2026-06-04 · accessed 2026-09-29
  11. 11Dozens of online-pharmacy ads, including for weight-loss drugs, appear to violate federal rulesThe Globe and Mail · 2026-02-12 · accessed 2026-09-29
  12. 12Regulatory requirements for advertising health productsHealth Canada · 2026-01-30 · accessed 2026-09-29
  13. 13PAAB guidance on reminder advertisements and section C.01.044Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) · 2025-10 · accessed 2026-09-29
  14. 14GHK-Cu & BPC-157 powder: Unauthorized active pharmaceutical ingredients (Type I recall)Health Canada · 2026-05-07 · accessed 2026-09-29
  15. 15Semaglutide + Pyridoxine: produced with an unauthorized active pharmaceutical ingredientHealth Canada · 2025-01-21 · accessed 2026-09-29
  16. 16Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized and sold by Canada Peptide may pose serious health risksHealth Canada · 2025-08-01 · accessed 2026-09-29
  17. 17Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized from Optimum Wellness Centre in Calgary, Alberta may pose serious health risks (RA-77218)Health Canada · 2025-04-02 · accessed 2026-09-29
  18. 18Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs sold by Prime Research may pose serious health risksHealth Canada · 2025-04-14 · accessed 2026-09-29
  19. 19Unauthorized health products sold online and seized at Rize Fitness may pose serious health risksHealth Canada · 2025-12-24 · accessed 2026-09-29
  20. 20World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency · 2025-09 · accessed 2026-09-29
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  25. 25Semaglutide Injection: Out-of-Specification (Impurity) (Type II recall, RA-82537)Health Canada · 2026-08-26 · accessed 2026-09-29
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  41. 41Drug Product Database API: active-ingredient search for exenatideHealth Canada (Drug Product Database) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
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  44. 44Drug Product Database API: active-ingredient search for kisspeptinHealth Canada (Drug Product Database) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
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  46. 46Drug Product Database API: active-ingredient search for liraglutideHealth Canada (Drug Product Database) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
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  50. 50Drug Product Database API: active-ingredient search for maridebart-cafraglutideHealth Canada (Drug Product Database) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
  51. 51Drug Product Database API: active-ingredient search for mazdutideHealth Canada (Drug Product Database) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
  52. 52Drug Product Database API: active-ingredient search for melanotanHealth Canada (Drug Product Database) · 2026-09-29 · accessed 2026-09-29
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