Emergency supply of kids' meds is coming amid national shortage
CBC
Emergency supplies of pain and fever medication are expected to arrive soon at hospitals overwhelmed by respiratory illnesses but observers say more can be done to guard against future drug shortages.
Health Canada says special imports of ibuprofen from the United States are awaiting distribution, while acetaminophen imports from Australia are imminent.
The agency did not disclose how much was expected or how stock will be split among hospitals, but promised "fair distribution of supply across Canada."
"Importation of ibuprofen has occurred, and distribution to hospitals is expected to begin soon," Health Canada said Wednesday in an emailed statement.
The extraordinary measures follow a months-long shortage of children's pain and fever medication that has sent many parents and caregivers scouring bare shelves and swapping tips on drug sightings.
Health Canada pegged the problem to "unprecedented demand since the summer," with stock "limited" at stores and hospitals in various parts of the country. Observers point to a complex web of factors driving demand, limiting supply and complicating any attempt at a quick fix.
It all started with a spring shortage of a specific brand of acetaminophen, which in turn sparked a secondary strain on alternative brands and products including those containing ibuprofen, says drug policy expert Mina Tadrous, assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
That was followed by an unusual late summer emergence of respiratory syncytial virus, a common fall and winter illness in children known as RSV, that continues to slam hospitals today.
In addition, the fall has ushered in "tremendous numbers of patients" hit by influenza and COVID-19, says the emergency medical director for the pediatric emergency department at Children's Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ont.
"This year is extremely difficult," Dr. Rod Lim said earlier this week. "We are seeing viruses circulate at different times than we have traditionally."
Parents have been understandably alarmed, but the media coverage may have led some to stockpile bottles and worsen the problem, Health Canada's chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma suggested during a media briefing Oct. 7.
"We really want to make sure that people are only buying medication when they need it. I know that there's a tendency to make sure that they have medication there just in case. But it's leading to some panic buying out there."
The industry group Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada has said drug companies including Tylenol maker Johnson & Johnson and Advil producer Haleon have ramped up production to address the spike in demand.
But this is unfolding in a very unusual year, adds the president of a group representing pharmaceutical distributors.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.