CDA Benchmarks Mounjaro to Ozempic's $228 List Price in Canada

Canada's Drug Agency has anchored its draft public-coverage recommendation for Mounjaro to the current list price of Ozempic, suggesting public plans pay no more for 5 mg tirzepatide than they pay for 1 mg semaglutide, currently listed at about $228 per four-week supply [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

The benchmarking math

The Canada's Drug Agency (CDA) draft report, published Thursday, gave tirzepatide a generally positive recommendation for Type 2 diabetes, provided Eli Lilly offers a discount [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/]. The committee concluded the evidence suggests five-milligram dosing of Mounjaro is similar in effectiveness to one milligram of Ozempic, and on that basis recommended public plans pay no more for Mounjaro at that dose than they do for Ozempic [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

At higher dosages, the report recommends public plans seek a discount of 25 to 49 per cent off Mounjaro's list price [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

List prices in play

According to the Globe and Mail, the list price of Mounjaro was between $300 and $540 as of the beginning of this year, depending on dosage, while Ozempic's list price is currently about $228 [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/]. Those figures cover a four-week supply and exclude pharmacy and distributor markups [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

The $228 figure sits below the current Ozempic price band tracked on GLP1Prices.ca, which ranges from $215 to $663 CAD across verified pharmacy listings. Current pharmacy-level prices for Mounjaro range from $295 to $800 CAD in our database, broadly consistent with the list-price band reported by the Globe and Mail.

What the discount ask would cost

If public plans cover Mounjaro, CDA estimates it could cost them $1.97 billion over three years — about $820 million more than the plans currently spend on comparable drugs over a similar period [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

For context, public plans spent $794 million on Ozempic in 2024, according to the most recent data cited by the Globe and Mail, making it the best-selling drug in Canada [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

Lilly's response

Ethan Pigott, director of communications and external affairs at Eli Lilly Canada, said in a statement that the draft "does not fully reflect the totality of evidence for Mounjaro" versus semaglutide 1 mg [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/]. He added that Eli Lilly would "engage constructively" with CDA as it finalizes its recommendations [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

Eli Lilly first filed a Mounjaro application with CDA in 2022, later withdrew it, and has not said why [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/]. CDA is still examining Eli Lilly's applications for Zepbound, which contains the same active ingredient; the company is seeking public coverage for Zepbound for two separate conditions [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

The generic wildcard

The CDA report notes that when generic versions of Ozempic hit the market, the price of Ozempic will fall substantially, which could affect future cost-effectiveness analysis of Mounjaro [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

Eli Lilly has already moved on list price. The company cut Canadian list prices for Mounjaro and Zepbound by 20% or more, with the 2.5 mg and 5 mg doses now set at $300 CAD per four-week supply [Source: glp1prices.ca/glp1-news/eli-lilly-cuts-mounjaro-zepbound-prices-20-percent-canada-2026]. Health Canada is currently reviewing nine generic semaglutide applications [Source: glp1prices.ca/glp1-news/eli-lilly-cuts-mounjaro-zepbound-prices-20-percent-canada-2026].

Readers tracking the generic pipeline can follow updates on our generic semaglutide tracker, check coverage status using our insurance coverage checker, or review common questions in the FAQ.

What happens next

The CDA recommendation is non-binding and the suggested discount typically serves as a starting point for negotiations between the drug manufacturer and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which represents public drug plans [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/]. Patient group Diabetes Canada told the CDA committee that current treatments are generally easy to use and effective, but patients could experience problems with supply, cost and lack of insurance coverage [Source: theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canada-drug-agency-mounjaro-recommendation-type-2-diabetes/].

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.