Pharmacists and health professionals are urging the public to do their part to alleviate reported acetaminophen and ibuprofen shortages across Canada.
Shortage reports that have persisted in recent months have received particular attention this week after a letter from SickKids to patient caregivers caused confusion and misunderstanding. Some misinterpreted the prescription recommendations for acetaminophen and ibuprofen to ensure access as a requirement instead.No prescription required.
"A lot of people were caught off-guard," Barry Power, editor-in-chief of the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Thursday.
Power said the bulk of the drug is manufactured in Canada and that the shortage is a matter of demand and not due to manufacturing problems or factory closures. Health Canada's meeting on Thursday will examine the current situation and explore ways to address the shortage, he added. With fears of a spike in COVID-19 infections in the fall, the shortage has prompted some people to "hoard" by buying multiple bottles at once. But like toilet paper shortages early in the pandemic, hoarding is exacerbating the problem, health experts warn.
"It's a perfect analogy," said Power, calling it a "domino" shortage and a nationwide problem.
"Early in the pandemic, sales of these products, used for fevers and other common cold products, also skyrocketed. And six months later, everyone was already stocking up." So maybe that's what we're seeing now...so this is another part of the pandemic that's making life difficult for everyone.
Buy what you need, get a shot
According to Power, a virtual working pharmacist, the problem should be short term. In the meantime, there are a few things the public can do to ease the current supply crisis.
Power says people are falling behind in immunizing him not only with COVID-19, but with other essential vaccines.
“Many vaccine-preventable viruses are circulating among children. will decrease," he said.
"Polio has been detected in the waste waters of many communities around the world, and they are of great concern to us and are making a comeback. It's a common symptom of all these conditions, so let's try to prevent as much as possible.'
The CPhA has not formally recommended doing so, Power said, adding that it would be difficult to monitor but the association might eventually propose.
The CPhA issued a statement Wednesday urging the public not to buy excessive amounts of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. We are in a situation where we are leaving something for someone else," said Power.