B.C. wants federal clamp on weight and diabetes drug Ozempic being exported to U.S.
British Columbia wants a federal government clamp down on prescription rules after thousands of doses of the hyped weight-loss drug Ozempic went to Americans, doled out by a single practitioner in Nova Scotia.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday that he's asking provincial and federal regulators to look into two Metro Vancouver pharmacies and the Nova Scotia practitioner responsible for thousands of Ozempic prescriptions issued to Americans in the first two months of 2023.
Though the injectable drug is prescribed mainly to treat diabetes, Dix said Ozempic's weight loss side-effects have been hyped up by advertising and celebrity-driven social media chatter.
“The drug's popularity on social media, and the, I think, almost unprecedented campaign of advertising for the drug, is driving a surge in demand and is resulting in shortages of Ozempic, not yet in British Columbia, but in other jurisdictions, including the United States,” Dix said.
He said the province is taking action to ensure patients in B.C. continue to have access to the drug and avoid potential shortages.
In the first two months of 2023, Dix said upwards of 15 per cent of Ozempic prescriptions in B.C. were being filled for American patients who receive the medication by mail.
Dix said the situation involving Ozempic is “unacceptable,” and noted that less than half a per cent of other drugs in B.C. are prescribed to non-residents.
“We would never have sufficient supply of Ozempic in British Columbia to satisfy the needs of the American market,” he said. “We have to protect patients here.”
The minister said it doesn't make sense to allow the province's supply to be drained and exported, driven by increased demand from Americans who have long turned to Canada as a source of cheaper prescription drugs.
He said the province is working with the drug's supplier to ensure there's enough Ozempic for diabetes patients in B.C.
A federal government review would be under the Food and Drugs Act “to address the concerning number of Ozempic prescriptions emanating from practitioners in one province,” Dix said.
He said he's asking the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons to ensure pharmacies are following drug dispensing rules because of the “unusually high” number of prescriptions being filled for non-Canadian residents.
Provincial and federal regulators need to work together to protect the supply of in-demand medications and avoid “mass exportation” of a drug needed by Canadian patients, Dix said.
“It's a national problem. It's a problem across the 10 provinces. This is a drug that's in demand. There's significant off label use that we all know about related to weight loss,” he said. “We need to take some action.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.