BC sales of Ozempic to US residents plummet 99% after provincial restrictions
The amount of Ozempic sold from pharmacies in BC to US residents has dropped dramatically since restrictions went into effect this spring, according to the county.
A statement on Friday said sales of the diabetes drug have dropped more than 99 percent since the county stopped allowing U.S. residents to order it online from BC on April 19.
From April 20 to May 31, pharmacies in BC filled 111 Ozempic prescriptions to people with addresses in the US.
By comparison, the province said 30,700 Ozempic prescriptions were filled in BC between January 1 and April 19.
Ozempic is a drug largely intended for people with type 2 diabetes. The drug has become popular in recent months, with celebrities and online influencers promoting its ability to aid weight loss, even though it’s not approved for that purpose.
The province said there is no shortage of Ozempic in BC or Canada, but sales were restricted to avoid that scenario.
The Department of Health said 15 percent of Ozempic sales in the first two months of the year went to US residents. Health Secretary Adrian Dix said those numbers were “worrying” given that the average for other drugs sold to Americans was less than half a percent.
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People in the US ordered the drug online from BC and had it delivered by mail.
The College of Pharmacists of BC is still investigating the two pharmacies in Metro Vancouver that sent most of those doses south.
A single doctor in Nova Scotia who wrote 95 percent of prescriptions to those pharmacies has been temporarily suspended.
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BC Health Secretary Adrian Dix said the province should limit the amount of Ozempic that can be sold to non-Canadians, particularly US residents, as demand for the diabetes drug surges as celebrities have said it could help to fall off.
People who need Ozempic for diabetes or other health problems are likely to need it for life, with studies showing that weight often returns after patients stop taking it. The drug costs between $200 and $300 per month in Canada.
BC’s PharmaCare program covers Ozempic as a treatment for type 2 diabetes if metformin is not effective. Patients are not reimbursed if they use the drug to lose weight.
