For months, 69-year-old retired Canadian Elizabeth Doran has juggled extra substitute teaching shifts, manufacturer discount cards, and introductory free offers just to afford her GLP-1 weight loss medication. Living with prediabetes and high blood pressure in Ottawa, Doran was prescribed Novo Nordisk’s brand-name Wegovy rather than its sister diabetes drug Ozempic — both of which rely on the active ingredient semaglutide — because she had not yet been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This classification left her ineligible for Ontario’s insurance coverage for diabetic seniors, forcing her to pay between CAD 350 and CAD 500 out of pocket every single month.