Drug supply notices
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Drug supply information
Health Canada communicates information about a drug shortage or supply concern when there may not be enough of a drug in Canada for the people who rely on it.
This list of supply notices tells you when:
- certain drugs are in low supply
- there may be high demand
- a drug is unavailable
You will also find other important details, such as:
- how long a shortage may last
- actions being taken to mitigate the impacts
- actions you can take
Ensuring people can get the medicines they need is a top priority for Health Canada. We do everything we can to prevent shortages, mitigate their impacts and help resolve them when they do occur.
Health Canada uses various mechanisms to communicate information about drug shortages and supply situations to stakeholders, including to hospitals and community pharmacies.
For example, the Drug Shortages Canada web page tracks when manufacturers of certain drugs can't meet all orders or plan to discontinue a drug. Health Canada and stakeholders in the supply chain and the health care system use this information to monitor supply. As drug supply issues can be caused by multiple factors and vary in complexity, not all shortages reported on this web page will have impact on the health care system or patients.
This page, with the posting of supply notices, will help identify drug shortages and supply situations that are most relevant to people in Canada.
Pfizer facility tornado damage
On July 19, 2023, a tornado damaged Pfizer's Rocky Mount, North Carolina, facility. This site supplies drugs to the Canadian market, most of which are administered by healthcare providers to patients in hospitals.
Upon learning of the tornado, Health Canada immediately worked with Pfizer to review and evaluate the anticipated impact for Canada's hospitals and their patients. We have since been in regular and frequent contact with Pfizer to determine which drugs are likely to experience supply constraints and for how long.
We share the concerns that many people in Canada may have about the impact of the damage on drugs that they rely on. We are doing everything that we can to address the situation and avoid a disruption in supplies. Health Canada does not manage the supply chain of medications. However, we do play a leadership role in bringing together stakeholders throughout the supply chain to prevent and reduce shortages and ensure effective communications around shortages of concern.
Pfizer has reassured us that over-the-counter drugs purchased directly by consumers at retail or prescription drugs dispensed at community pharmacies have not been identified as being impacted. Nor are they expected to be affected.
Pfizer has notified healthcare providers in hospitals, distributors and provincial and territorial Ministries of Health of the immediate expected impacts. It has also implemented allocation measures for drugs that come from the Rocky Mount facility. This means that customers, such as hospitals, can order or purchase limited amounts of the affected drugs for patients within those facilities. Allocation helps guard against potential stock-piling and supports equitable distribution.
We will continue to work with all our partners, including hospitals and healthcare professional associations. Together, we will be exploring all available options to help respond to this evolving situation and lessen any potential impacts to patient care, the healthcare system and people in Canada.
As always, ensuring people have access to the drugs they need when they need them is our top priority. We will continue to keep you informed.
List of drug supply notices
- Aminophylline in short supply: Notice [2024-04-19]
- The measles vaccine supply in Canada: Notice [2024-03-28]
- Cholestyramine in short supply: Notice [2024-02-21]
- Supply of acetaminophen, ibuprofen and cough and cold medicines: Notice [2023-09-06]
- Supply of antibiotic oral suspension products: Notice [2023-09-06]
- Update on the supply of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists: Notice [2023-04-06]
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