How we collect prices and score providers

Where pharmacy prices come from

Pharmacy counter prices on this site currently come from two places:

• Published pricing, compiled with AI-assisted research. Pharmacy, manufacturer and provider websites and other public listings, gathered and organised using AI research tools and checked by our editorial team. These figures track typical national pricing for a given drug and strength. They are a starting point, not a quote from a specific store.
• Published online listings. Where a pharmacy or telehealth provider publishes its price publicly, we record the listed price and keep the source link so you can check it yourself.

What this means for city and province pages. Unless a price is marked as phone-verified for a specific pharmacy and location, treat it as a national figure. Prices for the same pen vary by $50 or more between pharmacies in the same city, so confirm with your pharmacy before relying on a number here.

Phone-verified prices. Since August 2026 we phone pharmacies directly and ask for the cash price (no insurance) for a specific drug, strength and quantity, with the dispensing fee recorded separately. Each phone-verified price shows the pharmacy, the city and the date we confirmed it. A price without that stamp is a national figure from the sources above.

What a price includes

Prices are in Canadian dollars and represent what a cash-paying patient without insurance would pay for the stated quantity. Where we know the dispensing fee, we say so. Prescription drugs are not subject to sales tax in Canada, so none is added. Telehealth prices include the provider's stated consultation and program fees where they apply.

What we exclude

• Compounded GLP-1 products, which are not Health Canada-approved manufacturer products.
• Prices from pharmacies or sellers outside Canada.
• Any price we cannot trace to a source. If we cannot show where a number came from, it does not appear on the site.

Provincial coverage sources

When we say a drug is or is not covered by a provincial plan, we check the province's official formulary. These are the sources we use:

• Ontario: Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary
• Quebec: RAMQ: find out whether a drug is covered
• British Columbia: BC PharmaCare limited coverage criteria (semaglutide)
• Alberta: Alberta Drug Benefit List
• Manitoba: Manitoba Drug Benefits Formulary
• Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Formulary
• Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Pharmacare Formulary
• New Brunswick: New Brunswick Drug Plans Formulary
• Newfoundland and Labrador: NL Prescription Drug Program (NLPDP)
• Prince Edward Island: PEI Pharmacare Formulary

Coverage criteria change. The date at the bottom of each coverage page shows when we last checked that province's formulary.

How we score telehealth providers

Provider reviews are scored out of 10. These are the six criteria we score against, and each review shows its score for each criterion. Sponsorship and affiliate status do not change the criteria or the weighting. The one place sponsorship does decide an outcome is the provider match quiz: where BirchRx can prescribe, it is placed first among the online providers. That is a paid placement, it is disclosed on the result itself, and it does not touch the scores on this page.

1. Cost to start. Consultation fee plus the first month of medication, before any insurance.
2. 12-month total. What a cash-paying patient spends in year one, including program fees and lab work.
3. Provincial coverage. How many provinces the provider is licensed to prescribe and ship to.
4. Clinical oversight. Whether a licensed Canadian prescriber assesses the patient, and how follow-up works.
5. Fulfilment. Who dispenses the medication, delivery time, and what happens during a shortage.
6. Transparency. Whether prices, fees and prescriber credentials are published before a patient pays.

Reviews published before September 2026 were scored against earlier, review-specific criteria. We are re-scoring them against the six above; until a review shows these six, its scores reflect the criteria listed on that page. Provider prices and fees are taken from the provider's own published pricing and re-checked when we update a review. The date on each review shows when it was last checked.

How this site makes money

BirchRx pays Semaglutide Canada a flat monthly sponsorship fee for placement on this site. We are not paid per signup by BirchRx. Some other links on this page are affiliate links, including to MyRocky, which pay us a commission if you sign up. We score every provider against the same rubric (cost to start, 12-month total, provincial coverage, clinical oversight, fulfilment and transparency), and we publish the cases where a sponsor is not the cheapest option.

We are not affiliated with any pharmaceutical manufacturer. No pharmacy pays for placement in a price table.

Corrections

If a price, coverage rule or provider detail on this site is wrong, tell us at support@semaglutidecanada.com. We review reports weekly, check each one against the source, and correct verified errors in that weekly update. See our corrections page for how this works and what has been changed.

Health Canada compliance

This site publishes drug names, prices, quantities and publicly available coverage rules. It does not make therapeutic claims and does not provide medical advice. Read our medical disclaimer and consult your healthcare provider about any medication.

Last reviewed 2026-09-16.