Canada_ (Commonwealth) _ As British Columbian pharmacists have been supplying thousands of Americans with Ozempic this year, the province has announced a ban on sales to prevent a local scarcity of the diabetic drug. Adrian Dix, the health minister, gave a report on the findings of a ministry study into the cross-border problem at a press conference on Tuesday. He said that in the first two months of the year, almost one in five prescriptions for Ozempic in British Columbia were written for Americans. The inquiry revealed that two Metro Vancouver pharmacies filled the great majority of those prescriptions, which were written in Nova Scotia.
The brand name of an injectable medication mostly used to treat Type 2 diabetes is Ozempic. Although there are major hazards involved, including a potential side-effect of thyroid cancer, it is also beneficial for weight reduction, according to Bernie Garrett, a professor in the department of nursing at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Customers who don’t necessarily have diabetes have started buying the drug since social media users, celebrities, and ads have emphasized its potential for weight loss. Although the medicine is not licensed for use in Canada as a weight reduction therapy, according to Dix, demand from the U.S. is hurting supplies there.
On TikTok and Reddit, dozens of individuals exchange knowledge on how to get the drug in Canada. Some claim that they cannot get the medication in the United States without insurance or that their insurer would not pay for it without a diagnosis of diabetes. Some who have purchased the prescription from Canadian pharmacies claim it is delivered in a couple of weeks, packaged with cold packs.
Moreover, Canadian prescription medications are available to Americans who cross the border, and this practice has increased recently. To purchase Canadian medications, Americans still need a prescription from a doctor who is accredited by Health Canada.
