Pharmacists adapting to meet demand for children's cold and flu medications
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While pharmacy shelves may not be stocked with children's cold and flu medication as Canada deals with a national shortage, local pharmacists say parents have other options to help their children get the medicine they need.
While pharmacy shelves may not be stocked with children's cold and flu medication as Canada deals with a national shortage, local pharmacists say parents have other options to help their children get the medicine they need.
For months, the children's versions of branded Tylenol and Advil, along with their generic equivalents containing the same drugs of acetaminophen and ibuprofen, respectively, have been challenging to come by.
"We've never seen something like this on this kind of a scale," said Shawn Liu, a pharmacist at Access Pharmacy.
Health Canada says the national supply shortage in children's medication is due to an "unprecedent demand" that started this summer, with manufacturers increasing production.
The federal agency has also recently approved the "exceptional" importation of ibuprofen from the U.S., and is working on securing acetaminophen from Australia.
Another common antibiotic prescribed by pharmacists to help sick young children, amoxicillin, is in short supply as the country faces a surge in respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Liu said that unusual surge caught many suppliers off guard, with many still struggling to catch up with pent-up demand.
