As of 2023, nearly 3,000 drug shortages have been reported in Canada. That is, more than 20% of the products approved in the country, data obtained from reveals The print.
Posted at 5:00
“Canada has been experiencing a consistent shortage for 10 years. It’s truly incredible. It is surreal to see the amount of products that are constantly in critical situations and in short supply,” says Jean-François Bussières, clinical professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal and former head of the pharmacy department at CHU Sainte-Paul. Giustina.
As of Dec. 29, 2,975 drug shortages have been reported in Canada in 2023. While in the past we had to deal with occasional drug shortages, these now represent a daily challenge, Bussières points out.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Jean-François Bussières, clinical professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal
Today, in a large pharmacy department [d’un hôpital]there is almost one full-time person who takes care of it.
Jean-François Bussières, clinical professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal
From 2017 to now, 1,878 of the 9,343 prescription drugs sold were hit by a shortage on average each year, according to Health Canada data obtained by The print. This is more than one in five drugs.
According to the Canadian Pharmacists Association, no less than 20% of a pharmacist’s working time is dedicated to managing drug shortages. This involves informing patients and healthcare teams, finding new sources of supply and developing alternative solutions. “We make sure to minimize impacts. It is not visible, but there is a lot of work to be done,” says Diem Vo, head of the pharmacy department at the CISSS de la Montérégie-Est.
Thousands of shortcomings
“There are always a lot of shortages. The pandemic has really highlighted the fragility of the supply chain,” says Geneviève Pelletier, senior director of pharmacy service at the Quebec Pharmacist Owners Association.
According to Health Canada data, the average duration of each shortage reached 98 days in 2022-2023, or more than three months.
These supply disruptions place significant pressure on the healthcare network. An information bulletin is sent twice a month to Quebec health facilities to inform them of drugs affected by supply difficulties. “In 2021 we had a three or four page document. We now have a document of about 15 pages. There are more and more of them and they are increasingly worrying and critical for customers,” says the president of the Executive Committee for Pharmaceutical Purchasing (CEAP) of the Table of Directors of Pharmacy Departments, Diem Vo.
There are also those who fear that American authorities will allow some states to import drugs south of the border, starting with Florida which received the green light on Friday.
“Canada simply cannot supply drugs to Florida, or any other American state, without significantly increasing the risk and severity of drug shortages in the country,” said the acting president of Innovative Medicines Canada, an interest group representing pharmaceutical companies, David Renwick.
For his part, the federal Health Minister, Mark Holland, wanted to be reassuring. “I want to assure you of that [aux Canadiens] that they will continue to have access to the medicines they need, when they need them,” he said, adding that “stringent rules are in place to protect supply”.
Health Canada later clarified that the regulations were implemented pursuant to Food and Drug Act to “prohibit the sale of certain drugs intended for the Canadian market for consumption abroad if such sale is likely to cause or exacerbate a drug shortage in Canada.” “Importing large quantities will not be an effective solution to the problem of high drug prices in the United States,” the Department further said.
Impacts for the population
Mathé-Manuel Daigneault must, against his will, deal with the consequences of the recurring shortage of injectable testosterone, a treatment used by many trans men.
“I’ve been taking it for almost 10 years and I’ve lost count of the number of stockouts I’ve experienced in that time,” she confides. Some of the worst shortages in recent years have persisted for several months.
These deficiencies result in switching from one type of testosterone to another. “However, some people react badly to either solution,” he says. This is her case. He is allergic to one of the two products available. It is not uncommon for shortages of one to be quickly followed by shortages of the other, fueled by an increase in demand.
“There is definitely the possibility of freezing or [timbres]but the price is the highest beaucoup, without considering the need to apply the gel daily and the risks of transmitting the dose to every person with here nous aurions a contact skin to skin in the hours here suivent the application », he says .
Looking for alternatives
Behind the scenes, pharmacists strive to mitigate impacts on the population, in particular by ensuring close follow-up with suppliers. They must also “help patients find [solutions de rechange] and manage their concerns,” Pelletier says.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Diem Vo, head of the pharmacy department of the CISSS de la Montérégie-Est
When there are no alternatives, pharmacists sometimes have to contact Health Canada or the poison control center to change the expiration date of medications until they are restocked or an alternative solution arrives, explains Diem Vo.
Drug shortages can also lead to additional costs. Replacement care is sometimes more expensive, which increases the bill for both patients and the Régie de l’assurance santé du Québec (RAMQ), explains the director general of the Association of Pharmacy Distributors of Quebec (AQDP), Hugues Mousseau.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Ozempic pen boxes
Carole Chapdelaine has been facing this reality since September. The 4 mg Ozempic pen that she uses every month is out of stock. You are therefore obliged to purchase two 2 mg pens for the same period. Since the pens were the same price regardless of dose, the cost of treatment increased from $238 per month to $476 per month. “I am outraged that the pharmaceutical company is profiting from the shortage they are causing. It’s shameful,” she laments.
With the collaboration of Vincent Larin, The print
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1 in 4 percent of Canadians who have personally experienced a drug shortage or know someone who has
Source: Canadian Pharmacists Association
2024-01-06 10:00:00
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