Drug insurance claims across Canada climbed overall in 2025, but the rise in spending on GLP‑1 therapies and ADHD medications has been especially steep, according to a Tuesday release from private insurer GreenShield. The company’s total drug‑benefit outlay increased by 9.5 per cent last year, driven largely by soaring demand for treatments tied to diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions.
Rising GLP‑1 expenditure
Spending on GLP‑1 medicines such as semaglutide jumped 47.7 per cent compared with 2024, the report said. Semaglutide alone represented 6.6 per cent of all drug‑insurance costs in Canada in 2025, making it the single highest‑cost product in the benefit plan. The average claimant using Ozempic, Rybelsus or Wegovy for diabetes or weight management spent $2,489 on these medicines.
The report highlighted a dramatic spike in the $2,000‑to‑$2,999 bracket for diabetes drugs, where total costs rose 594 per cent and the number of claimants grew by 374.3 per cent. Ozempic remained the most frequently claimed diabetes treatment, accounting for 41 per cent of all diabetes‑related claims, although its share slipped slightly from 43.2 per cent the previous year.
GreenShield noted that the upward trend reflects “the growing impact of chronic disease on benefit plans,” and added that costs could ease in 2026 as generic GLP‑1 options enter the market.
ADHD medication trends
The cost of two widely used ADHD drugs – methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine – also rose sharply in 2025. While overall ADHD prevalence remains slightly higher among men (8.6 per cent) than women (7.4 per cent), the condition grew faster among women, with a 15 per cent increase year‑on‑year.
The strongest growth in ADHD claims came from adults aged 35 to 44, whose numbers of claimants rose by 23.1 per cent compared with 2024. This same age group recorded the biggest uptick in claims for anxiety and depression medication (6.8 per cent) and also saw higher claim rates for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis.
Women were more likely than men to claim medication for anxiety and depression, with a prevalence rate of 4.3 per cent versus a lower figure for male claimants.
Demographic shifts and mental‑health links
The data suggest a intertwining of metabolic and mental‑health pressures within the working‑age population. The surge in GLP‑1 use points to expanding treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes, conditions that often coexist with stress‑related disorders. Meanwhile, the rise in ADHD claims among 35‑44‑year‑olds coincides with increased claims for anxiety, depression and more severe psychiatric illnesses in the same cohort.
These patterns may reflect broader societal stressors, delayed diagnosis, or greater willingness to seek pharmacological help. Insurers and policymakers will need to consider how benefit structures can address both physical and mental health needs without unsustainable cost growth.
Outlook for 2026
GreenShield anticipates that the introduction of generic GLP‑1 formulations could temper the upward cost trajectory in the coming year. However, the sustained rise in ADHD and related mental‑health claims indicates that demand for neuropsychiatric therapies is unlikely to abate without targeted interventions.
Stakeholders across healthcare, employer‑sponsored plans and public health programmes will watch closely to see whether price competition, prescribing guidelines or preventive programmes can curb the dual surge in metabolic and mental‑health drug spending.
Why it Matters
The sharp increase in spending on GLP‑1 and ADHD medications underscores a shifting burden on Canada’s drug‑benefit landscape, where chronic disease management and mental‑health care are becoming increasingly costly and interconnected. For employers offering private insurance, rising premiums may strain budgets, while public programmes could face pressure to expand coverage for these high‑cost therapies. Addressing the root drivers – such as obesity, diabetes and undiagnosed or untreated psychiatric conditions – through preventive care, integrated treatment models and timely access to generics will be essential to keep both health outcomes and expenditures sustainable.
