Infographic: Helping Canadians deal with drug shortages

Organization: Health Canada

Type: Infographic

Published: 2023-06-08

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Infographic text

Helping Canadians deal with drug shortages

What is a drug shortage?

A drug shortage is when there isn't enough supply of a drug to meet demand.

Why do drug shortages happen?

Drug shortages are a global issue and can happen for many reasons:

• Demand for a drug is greater than the supply available
• Manufacturing or quality problems
• A safety issue resulting in a drug recall
• Shipping delays or distribution problems
• Drug discontinuations

Health Canada takes a leadership role in convening all players to try to prevent shortages.
When this is not possible, Health Canada works with these players to detect, assess, analyse, mitigate and monitor them.

How are drug shortages prevented or managed?

Preventing and managing a drug shortage takes effort from many players:

• Health Canada
  • uses regulatory tools to permit more supplies, including the importation of foreign-authorized drugs
• Health care professionals
  • identify safe and effective alternatives
• Provinces and territories
  • work with hospitals, pharmacists, retailers and distributors to manage supply
• Drug manufacturers
  • must report anticipated and actual shortages and discontinuations of certain drugs to Health Canada
  • increase production or expedite resupplies
• Distributors
  • monitor inventory and accelerate delivery of resupplies
• Pharmacists
  • counsel patients, conserve drugs where possible and dispense based on need

What can you do to help?

Only purchase the drugs you need. This will help to ensure that others have access to needed supply.

Speak with a doctor or pharmacist for advice on alternatives or how to conserve supply.