Ozempic claims in Sask. spike more than 3,000% in 5 years, many for weight loss

Chamundi Selvaraj takes a weekly dose of Ozempic because she's afraid of dying from diabetes-related kidney failure like her mother and four aunts, who all passed away in their 60s.

But Selvaraj is in the minority among Ozempic users in Saskatchewan in a few ways.

First, she's using the drug for the reason it was initially designed: to improve her blood sugar levels.

Second, she qualifies for Ozempic coverage through the provincial drug plan and private insurance. Saskatchewan only approves patients who have Type 2 diabetes. 

And finally, she's not shy about revealing her Ozempic use.

"I felt like this was a very good turning point in my life," Selvaraj said.

The retired grandmother had no idea Ozempic's side effect of weight loss has made it a much-sought-after drug for off-label reasons. Its active ingredient, semaglutide, mimics a hormone that controls blood sugar levels and curbs hunger.

There's been a huge surge in Ozempic claims in the province.

There were 5,755 Ozempic claims in Saskatchewan in 2019. That number jumped to 194,916 by the end of 2023 — an increase of close to 3,300 per cent. One prescription may result in several claims.

Of those 194,916 claims, only about 78,000 — or 40 per cent — received provincial drug plan benefits.

According to the province, the other 60 per cent of the claims didn't meet the medical criteria of Type 2 diabetes or, in some cases, the patient might not have applied for coverage or may have been federally insured through First Nations and Inuit Health.

Indigenous Services Canada said it covered 34,133 claims in 2023, but it's hard to say how many were for diabetes or weight loss because the federal department has "not set restrictions on access to Ozempic," in order to ease the administrative burden on diabetics.

This likely means that between 40 and 60 per cent of all Saskatchewan claims for Ozempic are not for diabetes.

Experts say this shows the drug is being used in many cases for off-label purposes, such as weight loss.