A compound solution for the children’s medication shortage
Children’s medicines remain in short supply at pharmacies in Ottawa and across the country and it is getting worse. Now, adult pain and fever drugs are running out, adding to a growing list of others, which dwindle in supply.
But there's an immediate solution to solve part of this problem for both pills and chewable tablets: compounding.
"We’ve had shortages throughout the pandemic and it’s only gotten worse," says pharmacist Andrew Hanna, owner at Pharmasave Avalon Compounding Pharmacy. "And we’ve been compounding them since the spring when we first saw the shortage. We use the API, which is the active pharmaceutical ingredients, and we use that to make medication. It’s been very busy, we’ve had a lot of people come in and we’ve had a lot of support from our suppliers.”
At the pharmacy, inside a special 'clean room', Hanna and his team can quickly make pills, chewable tablets or liquid solutions of popular brand name children or adult medication brands, such as Tylenol and Advil.
"We can make it more palatable and tweak it to their weight and size," Hanna says. "We’re looking at few dollar differences between what is retail brand and what is compounded."
Hanna says it has been busy, especially as many pharmacy selves remain empty.
Health Canada has secured a foreign supply of children’s medication to restock pharmacies, but that is likely still weeks away, as more drugs such as allergy relievers, adult cough syrup and antibiotics shrink in supply.
"There are some really concerning medication on there in terms of their place in therapy and what the potential alternatives would be," says Jen Belcher, vice president, strategic initiatives and member relations with Ontario Pharmacists Association. "The rate of drug shortages has been increasing over the past five to ten years and we are absolutely struggling more with prescription and over-the-counter drug shortages than ever before. This definitely accelerated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with global supply changes, changes with demand patterns.”
Belchers says the growing increase of drug shortages creates an additional burden in the provision of care and that government, along with all levels of healthcare, must look at ways to mitigate this problem and to allow pharmacists more ability to provide choice.
“The prescription drug shortages are nothing new unfortunately to pharmacy teams and health care providers,” she says. "And as a pharmacist, I can’t change someone’s medication from one prescription to another if it's in back order situation."
The amount of children’s medication Health Canada has secured is unclear. All the federal agency would say is that it will help address the immediate situation. But pharmacies do not know how the supply will be distributed and who will get it.
As for why Canada has a shortage in children's drugs, while America does not, Belcher says there may be a few reasons.
“This is out of the ordinary for when we would see demand on these products," Belcher said. "We’ve seen a spike here in that demand that hasn’t been observed in the United States, they may have had a more robust supply within their existing network but the level of demand hasn’t surged the way we’ve seen it in Canada."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.