Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press Published Saturday, January 7, 2023 4:47 PM EST Last Updated Saturday, January 7, 2023 4:47 PM EST
TORONTO – Around Christmas time, Wendell Beaton was trying to find cold medicine for his grown son in Brampton, Ontario.
“There are about 20 (dispensaries) in my neighborhood within a two-mile radius because I live in the most populated part of town,” Beaton said.
The 55-year-old artist visited three stores before finding something. Even then, “they were without a whole bunch of stuff.”
Now, visiting family in Smiths Falls, Ont., the same thing happened again when her 23-year-old niece needed medication — except this time they had to drive more than half an hour to Brockville, Ont., to find it.
“This is not a city problem. It’s not a rural problem. This is a Canadian problem,” Beaton said.
That’s true, pharmacists say, and the bare shelves suggest there are vulnerabilities in Canada’s drug supply system. People across the country are scrambling to find cold, cough and flu medicines for adults, hot on the heels of a shortage of medicines for fever and pain in children that has yet to be fully resolved.
“I think it’s a bit of a wake-up call,” said Joel Walker, vice-president of public and professional affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
In December, the association informally surveyed pharmacists across Canada and found there was “still some tension” in the supply of pediatric pain and fever drugs, even after the federal government brought in more to help ease shortages.
Many pharmacists reported that they were either completely out of cold and flu medicines for adults or had “minimum supplies”.
There are no identified problems at the manufacturing end that would explain these shortages, said Mina Tadrous, an assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Toronto who specializes in drug policy and drug monitoring.
Both Tadrous and Walker said the problem appears to be huge as more and more people fall ill during the brutal respiratory illness season.
The situation is exacerbated by panic buying and hoarding as people worry about shortages.
“I’m not sure we ever expected over-the-counter drugs to be (in) such limited supply,” Walker said.
But despite the overwhelming demand, these aren’t the first drug shortages in Canada, she said — and they reveal a deeper problem with how the country manages drug supplies.
“Over and over again … we have shortages that happen. We all struggle to deal with it and then we kind of move on,” Walker said.
“What we would like to see is a more comprehensive action plan to address shortage prevention.”
“Part of that is creating an environment where not only are manufacturers willing to invest in local manufacturing here, but they’re willing to bring their products to the (Canadian) market,” she said.
In addition, the federal government should invest in developing a “critical drug list,” which Walker said would identify the drugs that are most important to Canadians and what the risks of shortages are. These risks may include depending on only one or two manufacturers for a drug.
Such a list would allow the government to take actions such as boosting domestic production or working with other countries that produce these drugs, Tadrus said.
Canada also needs to improve the data it has on drug supplies so it can respond more quickly to shortages, rather than waiting “until the shelves are empty,” he added.
Unfortunately, Tadrous said, it’s not realistic to think there will ever be a time with zero drug shortages.
“But I think the number of shortages that are occurring is unacceptable and I think we could do better.”
The “silver lining” of the COVID-19 pandemic was that it showed how quickly Health Canada could act to import drugs, he said.
“We should take advantage of the fact that politicians are finally paying attention to this. Politicians are finally paying attention to this. And maybe we can make some further movement in the same way that we did when the pandemic hit.”
In a statement emailed to The Canadian Press on Friday, the office of federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said it was “aware of the situation regarding cold and flu medications for adults.”
“We are closely monitoring the situation as it is rapidly evolving,” the statement said. “Our office and Health Canada are already in discussions with manufacturers here in Canada and abroad.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 7, 2023.
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