N.S. doctor’s licence suspended over 'serious concerns' about prescribing Ozempic

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has suspended the licence of a doctor who allegedly wrote thousands of Ozempic prescriptions for Americans and prompted British Columbia to limit the drug to Canadian residents.

Dr. Gus Grant, Registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, identified the physician in a statement as Dr. David Davison, a doctor who lives in the U.S. but holds a Nova Scotia licence.

“By law, the College must issue licences to qualified non-resident physicians. To our knowledge Dr. Davison has not practiced in Nova Scotia for many years,” said Grant.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia website, Davison’s business address is located in Texas.

Last week, British Columbia’s Health Minister singled out a Nova Scotia practitioner for allegedly writing thousands of Ozempic prescriptions that were shipped to American addresses through two Vancouver-area pharmacies.

Ozempic is the brand name of an injectable drug called semaglutide. It was developed for people with Type II diabetes and obesity, but many believe the drug's weight loss side effects have been hyped by advertising and celebrities.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia initially learned about the issue through media reports and asked for more information.

On Wednesday, the College received a letter from the B.C. College of Pharmacists outlining “serious concerns regarding Dr. David Davison’s prescribing.”

Grant said an investigation committee issued an interim suspension of the physician’s licence and the College has launched a full investigation.

Grant said public safety is the primary lens through which it regulates medicine in Nova Scotia and it has a responsibility to ensure physicians licenced in the province are delivering care appropriately and safely.

He said the letter the College received from the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia said two B.C. pharmacies received more than 17,000 prescriptions between December and February and the B.C. College of Pharmacists believes the majority of these were written for patients in the United States.

“Based on the volume alone, the prescribing is not in keeping with the standards of the profession. I cannot see how the volume of medications prescribed could possibly be supported by proper medical assessment and judgement. On its face, the prescribing appears incompetent,” said Grant.

Grant added that while inter-provincial prescribing has long been a part of the pan-Canadian approach to health care, international prescribing is not.

“Pharmacists cannot process prescriptions from American physicians unless signed off by a Canadian physician. This signing off is in law prescribing. Before any medication is dispensed, it is up to pharmacists to determine whether the prescription is appropriate,” Grant said.

CTV News reached Davison via telephone Thursday evening but he declined to comment at this time