Why Generic Weight Loss Medications are Expected to be More Affordable

Searching for cheap generic weight loss drugs has become a common practice for patients who are struggling to find affordable weight loss medications without insurance, but have you ever stopped to wonder why there’s a difference in the costs of brand vs generic drugs?

Generic weight loss medications have a number of advantages that brand named equivalents don’t which make them more affordable, such as: no longer requiring research and development costs, no need for lengthy, costly toxicological and clinical studies that brand manufacturers have already done, no expensive advertising and marketing programs to raise market and clinical awareness of the product, and new countries/manufacturers entering the market with lower cost production and distribution models. 

This page will make it easier to understand why the cost of weight loss drugs in Canada varies due to these factors, as well as how you can find the best affordable weight loss medications, with or without insurance.

Are Generic Weight Loss Medications Available in Canada?

Not yet. There are no generic weight loss medications available in Canada yet, but they are expected to be available sometime in 2026.

As a result, there is growing interest in them. But like any prescription medication, you must first be approved to use these types of treatments before you’ll be able to buy affordable generic weight loss medication.

Each patient must have their health and medical history assessed, so that your healthcare practitioner can ensure that they would be a safe and potentially effective treatment option for you. Only after receiving a prescription can you then purchase affordable weight loss medications from Felix and our pharmacy partners.

What Will Make Generic Weight Loss Medications More Affordable?

There are actually a number of factors that help reduce the price of generic weight loss medications compared to their brand-named counterparts. Let’s discuss two of the major contributing factors that can make generic weight loss drugs cheaper than brand names ones:

While this page is meant to generalize the difference in costs of generic vs brand name weight loss drugs, it’s important to understand that not all of them will be priced the same way.

‍SIDE NOTE: Through our Weight Loss Program, Felix will not only be able to provide access to affordable generic weight loss medications, when they are available, but can also help you with possible lifestyle changes to help your overall health, as well as the effectiveness of your weight loss treatments.

1. Does that Weight Loss Medication Still Have a Patent?

Patents for medications allow manufacturers a certain period of time to recoup the costs associated with creating a medication from scratch. During the patent period, higher prices are maintained. However, medications that no longer have patents in place can then be produced by competitors; sometimes in countries that can provide cheaper manufacturing and distribution opportunities.

When this happens, it can drastically reduce the cost of these more affordably produced generic counterparts.

2. Lack of Research & Development Costs

When a new medication is first created, there are costly research and development expenses, lengthy toxicological and clinical studies to ensure the weight loss drug is safe and effective for use, as well as expensive advertising and marketing programs to raise market and clinical awareness of the new product.

All of this is built into the pricing of brand name drugs. 

However, generic drugs are cheaper because they don’t have to go through these R&D processes a second time. They’ve already been proven effective and safe, and therefore, those costs don’t have to be added into the pricing of the generic alternatives.

Understanding How Generic Medications Are Priced in Canada

As long as a medication is protected by patents, a generic alternative can't be launched.  In Canada, this patent protection period is currently 20 years. Once the patent(s) expire, generic manufacturers may develop their own, generally more affordable, alternatives.  

Canada has a predetermined pricing structure in place for generic medications.  Some of the elements that impact the cost of generic drugs include:

• A predefined % of the original brand price (called the reference price)
• Number of competitors (impacts the % being applied to pricing)

These elements combined contribute to how generic weight loss drugs are priced, which is why it’s difficult to speak to the cost of generic weight loss medications accurately for everyone at once.

Comparing the Costs of Generic & Brand Name Weight Loss Medications

There are a few different types of medications in this category of treatment, and they all have different prices. Weighing your options, and finding one that makes the most sense for you medically is the first step towards achieving the positive health results you want.

Your healthcare practitioner will be able to help you identify the best medical treatment options for you, based on your unique health and medical history, and from there it will depend on whether or not a generic version of your suggested treatment is available in Canada.

Start by completing a secure online assessment, at your convenience. One of our healthcare practitioners will get back to you (usually within 24 hours) to review your health and potential treatment options.

Factors That Influence Generic Weight Loss Medication Availability

Due to its popularity, semaglutide supply has been challenged in the past. Generic manufacturers are already preparing for the patent on semaglutide to expire, so that they can begin selling their generic version in Canada.

This has included such things as improving manufacturing capacity, sourcing additional supply, creating new partnerships - all to prepare for the expected influx of generic weight loss medication purchases, once they’re approved and available.

If you’d like to be notified once generic semaglutide is available in Canada, we’d invite you to add your name to our helpful waitlist. We’ll send you a notification, as soon as Felix is able to start providing access to generic semaglutide medications, once approved.

Insurance & Coverage Considerations for Generic Weight Loss Medications

Insurance coverage is something that you’ll have to discuss with your private benefits company, as we’ll have no way of knowing whether or not you have any type of coverage (or how much). 

It is often helpful to reach out to your insurance representative directly, prior to submitting your assessment with Felix, so that you know if you have coverage for any of the various weight loss medications when you chat with your Felix healthcare practitioner.

Unfortunately, provincial health coverage is currently not available for the indication of weight loss, in any province across Canada. To make it easier to make sense of how provincial health supports work, we’ve put together a page on Understanding Insurance that can help you make sense of this sometimes complicated process.

If you do have any coverage for generic weight loss medications under your current benefits, Felix’s pharmacy will be happy to set up direct billing with your insurer. To have this done, you’ll need to upload your insurance information when you’re submitting your assessment information for review.

When Should I Request Generic Weight Loss Medications from Felix?

Interested in seeing whether weight loss medications would be appropriate for you as part of your weight management plan? Haven’t decided which type (if any) you want to try? Unsure whether you can afford weight loss medications?

If you have any of these questions, or other concerns relating to weight loss treatments through Felix, you should take a few minutes to complete a secure assessment. One of our healthcare practitioners will get back to you as soon as they can (usually within 24 hours), so they can discuss your health and potential treatment options.

Our team is here to provide you with the support and guidance you need to reach your health goals, so you can take back control of your health and get back to living life on your terms - the way it should be!

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