New supply of children's medication still limited, pharmacist cautions
New supply of children's medication still limited, pharmacist cautions
Canada is importing more children’s medication amid an unprecedented surge in demand, but the head of the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association warns that the supply will still need to be rationed if it’s going to last.
About one million bottles of children’s cold medication has already arrived in Canada and the federal government says another half-million bottles are slated to arrive over the next three weeks, but Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association, told Newstalk 580 CFRA that the supply the government secured won’t last through the winter if it’s just left on the shelves.
“If we just put it out on the shelves, people might buy two or three bottles per customer and if that happens, with the tentative supply we do have, it’s not going to last long… it’s weeks of supply, not months,” he said.
Bates is suggesting that the product should remain behind the counter for the time being, to mitigate the risks of stockpiling, panic buying and, in some cases, reselling.
“We should probably put these products behind the counter, which is a bit an inconvenience for patients, but at the very minimum they can talk to the pharmacist and we can ration it one per customer so that we make sure there’s enough to go around for the people that need it.”
Demand has spiked in Canada amid an early flu season combined with the ongoing risk of COVID-19 and another seasonal virus, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which has been hitting the emergency rooms of children’s hospitals hard. Ottawa’s flu positivity rate was 23.4 per cent for the week of Nov. 13-19. Bates says Canadian manufacturers, while they have increased production, haven’t been able to keep up.
“We did see an unprecedented spike in demand back in the late summer, approximately 300 per cent over this time last year. The manufacturers here couldn’t keep pace with that, even though they have increased their production by 35 per cent, which is a record,” he said.
Ottawa pharmacist and vice president of pharmacy affairs with the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, Dr. Sheli Dattani, told CFRA that medication has been coming in locally, but the new supply won’t replenish all of the stock that they need.
“A lot of pharmacies are keeping them behind the counter and they may have purchase limits, so I would just tell people that it’s out there,” she said, asking customers to be patient. “Definitely think about whether you really need it. Talk to your pharmacist about it and then go to them and they’ll likely give it to you from behind the counter.”
Dattani says she’s encouraged to hear that more supply will be coming in over the next few weeks.
“I think we’re going to see this problem slowly, not as quickly as we’d like, but slowly getting resolved.”
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
More than four months after Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, people are still dealing with damaged homes as they wait for help from insurance companies and provincial aid programs.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Hundreds of tenants at a midtown Toronto apartment building have been without heat for a week now, and many are worried with the arrival of bitter-cold temperatures.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Montreal police say two men are in hospital Wednesday night with stab wounds after an altercation in a home in the city's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Gillian Burnett was almost finished her work day on Jan. 24 when she received a terrifying call about her young son. Waylon, 20-months-old, was found submerged in an outdoor pool at a home daycare near Petrolia, Ont.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) is drawing their line in the sand on the controversial Saskatchewan First Act, calling it “bad news” for the environment, economy, and the province’s energy future.
