Posted by Michael Wonder on 06 Jun 2018
Canada's drug shortage problem needs action, say medical experts
5 June 2018 - Drug shortages in Canada are a problem in need of immediate solutions, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.
In "Assessing Canada's Drug Shortage Problem" – one of the few comprehensive reports examining the size of the problem in Canada – medical experts Jessy Donelle, Jacalyn Duffin, Jon Pipitone and Brian White-Guay argue that a stable supply of a diversity of medicines is necessary to ensure quality of care, keep healthcare costs down and reduce delays or disruptions to access for the entire population.
Since 2010, Canadian patients, physicians and pharmacists have been wrestling with drug shortages, mainly for generic drugs, which make up around 70 percent of Canadian prescriptions. Approximately 1,000 shortages have been reported annually, affecting 1,250 products during a recent three-year period. The shortages appear to have affected at least 10 percent of all active drugs available in Canada.
