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wegovy available in canada: what it means for obesity patients

novo nordisk announced that the promising new obesity drug wegovy will be available to canadians starting on may 6.

by angelica bottaro

may 2 2024
read time 7 minute read
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wegovy is a semaglutide injection, a drug that works by increasing the body’s insulin levels to decrease blood sugar. it also helps to reduce the amount of sugar released into the blood by slowing down digestion. getty images
novo nordisk, a leading global healthcare company working to fight the prevalence and severity of chronic diseases, announced that the promising new obesity drug wegovy will be available to canadians starting on may 6.
people with both overweight or obesity can utilize the drug to manage their weight, as long as they fit specific parameters. people living with obesity must have an initial body mass index (bmi) of 30 kg/m2, and people living with a bmi of 27 kg/m2 and at least one weight-related disease, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or obstructive sleep apnea, meet the specific requirements needed to be given a wegovy prescription.
as obesity matters executive director priti chawla sees it, the availability of wegovy in canada is an important step forward for obesity treatment with the potential to change many lives.
“it does represent a significant advancement in the treatment of obesity because we consider obesity to be a chronic medical condition, and so this does offer new hope for many who are struggling with this complex chronic disease, and its availability in canada is definitely a milestone moment for our obesity community,” she said.

obesity in canada

according to the health canada infobase, as many as 26.6 per cent of canadians live with obesity. this chronic and often debilitating condition drives the onset of other potentially deadly diseases, such as:
  • high blood pressure
  • high cholesterol
  • heart disease
  • stroke
  • type 2 diabetes
  • osteoarthritis
  • chronic pain
  • musculoskeletal disorders
  • certain types of cancer

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obesity can also reduce the overall health scores of those with the condition, negatively decreasing the function of various bodily systems, including the reproductive and respiratory systems.
when the body is unable to function appropriately because someone has obesity, it can also drive a severely reduced quality of life, the onset of mental health disorders, and low self-esteem.
the risk factors and causes of obesity are complex and often attributed to genetic predisposition and environmental circumstances, such as easy and affordable access to foods that drive weight gain when compared to healthy alternatives and changes in physical activity due to the sedentary nature of today’s society.

what is wegovy?

wegovy is a semaglutide injection, a drug that works by increasing the body’s insulin levels to decrease blood sugar. it also helps to reduce the amount of sugar released into the blood by slowing down digestion.
in the case of obesity, these drugs also act on the part of the brain that regulates appetite, leading to feelings of fullness, reduced hunger, and a lower desire to eat foods high in bad fats or other unhealthy foods that contribute to obesity.
it does all this within the body by acting as a specific hormone that’s naturally produced, known as glucagon-like peptide 1, or glp-1, that impacts all of these parameters to ensure that blood sugar and appetite are adequately regulated.
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dr. sean wharton is an internal medicine physician with a practice specializing in obesity and type 2 diabetes, an assistant professor at the university of toronto, and an adjunct professor at york university mcmaster. he talks about how wegovy works in the body, clarifying why it’s so effective for those living with obesity.
“it is a chemical version of the endogenous substance, a substance that we make ourselves, called glp-1, that goes from the gut to the organs to stimulate specific actions. glp-1 tells the pancreas to produce insulin and appropriately store energy after a meal. it also stops the release of glucagon, a hormone that generates sugar from the liver,” he said.
“after eating a meal, our own glp-1 goes up to the brain as messenger to stop eating. people living with type 2 diabetes or obesity do not have enough glp-1, therefore this chemical version of glp-1 delivers more of this hormone to those who are lacking it. as a result, it improves their diabetes, and their obesity.”
many people have heard of ozempic, and wegovy is essentially the same thing, given the go-ahead to be used for obesity and for those who are overweight and have comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes.
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ozempic gained popularity because of how it aids in weight loss. still, many people were using it to reach the “cultural level of desired thinness” as opposed to improving health parameters. this off-label use, while effective, is not what it nor wegovy is intended for, and it’s up to the physicians to ensure that the right people get this drug because they need it, not because they want to fit a certain beauty standard.
“that cultural desire for thinness drives the popularity of this molecule,” said dr. wharton, later continuing, “that needs to be recognized and understood, and physicians will continue to be pressured to use this drug inappropriately.”
“i believe that health care providers are capable of saying no to those patients wanting to use it inappropriately.”

how wegovy can help canadians living with obesity

the drug trials done with wegovy showed promising results for weight management. people reached a mean weight loss of 15 per cent, or 15 kg, over 68 weeks. when compared to a placebo group, 83.5 per cent of people taking wegovy achieved five percent more body weight reduction, with only 31.1 per cent of the placebo group reaching the same goal.
along with weight loss, other health parameters were also improved during the clinical trial, showing reductions in waist circumference and improved cardiometabolic health.

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dr. wharton believes that the medication can do more than just help with that, though, because losing weight when you have obesity isn’t just a battle against the pounds. it’s also an internal mental struggle because of the stigma and discrimination surrounding obesity and those who have the condition.
people living with obesity are forced to focus heavily on their health at all times, and that can put a severe strain on the quality of their lives, relationships, and mental health. but using wegovy can help lessen the mental burden that many people with obesity feel on a daily basis.
“when you’re healthier, you can focus on those things (mental health, personal life) better. it can help you to focus on the stressors that need your attention and not focus on hunger or cravings,” said dr. wharton. “the medication will not fix mental health issues, but it does give the individual the ability to put greater focus on their own issues..”

improving access to care for obesity patients in canada by addressing stigma

while wegovy is available in canada, canadians being able to use the drug to improve their health isn’t always easy because of accessibility. the drug is expensive, and because obesity is still looked at as a self-driven disease by many, including people within the healthcare system, it does not get the same financial backing as other chronic disease medications on the market today.

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that leaves people living with obesity in the lurch when trying to access wegovy in a way that suits their financial situation.
“a big concern is the critical issue of accessibility because many in our community who grapple with this disease and those who are living in marginalized communities, they find these treatments financially out of reach. so, that’s why we have to work towards making wegovy affordable as well as accessible to canadians who need it,” said chawla.
chawla and other organizations, along with physicians like dr. wharton, continue to advocate for changes in the system that will help people living with obesity feel less stigmatized and discriminated against.
obesity is a health condition, and it should be treated as such, especially when it comes to advancements in medical treatment. that said, advocacy can only go so far if the right partners aren’t on board.
“we want insurance companies as well as government bodies to also recognize obesity as a complex chronic medical condition, and of course, it definitely has to come from the medical community,” chawla said. “we do have many experts who are trained in this field, (but) there are still many, many primary care physicians and caregivers who are not and who still ask their patients to eat less and move more.”

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that stigma and skewed way of thinking about obesity significantly harms those living with the condition when it comes to getting the proper treatment because people still believe the long-outdated and scientifically disproven bias that obesity and overweight are simply lifestyle choices.
“i think the most important thing for us to remember is that many of us are biased against people living with obesity and feel that they have a character flaw and they don’t deserve treatment,” said dr. wharton, later continuing, “we have to be careful in regards to how paternalistic we are in regards to people’s lives. a safe, appropriate medication is a person’s own choice, own autonomy.”
stigma, bias, and discrimination have always existed toward people living with obesity. according to dr. wharton, the only way to change the narrative is by practicing compassion and love.
“there’s a significant lack of compassion for people living with obesity, hence difficulties with getting insurance coverage and the continued stigmatizing messages for people who are using these medications to improve their own health,” he said. “we need to have more love and compassion in this field to be able to really understand how it impacts people.”

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chawla echoes the same sentiment, stating that these types of medications not being on health plans or formularies perpetuate those negative biases towards those living with obesity, and that should not be the reality.
“we don’t want this to be a status quo. obesity matters is really wanting to change this status quo,” she said. “it should also be accompanied by how society and medical systems view and treat obesity. we want equal access to care and really breaking down these barriers that have marginalized people who are living with obesity.”
angelica bottaro
angelica bottaro

angelica bottaro is the lead editor at healthing.ca, and has been content writing for over a decade, specializing in all things health. her goal as a health journalist is to bring awareness and information to people that they can use as an additional tool toward their own optimal health.

read more about the author

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