Prescription painkiller shortage in Canada should continue

Pharmacists say shortages of drugs containing oxycodone are expected to continue into the new year, while supplies of another type of painkiller have increased following a nationwide outage over the summer.

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In July, Health Canada sent out a notice about shortages of medications containing acetaminophen with oxycodone, including the brand name Percocet.

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Acetaminophen deficiency has also been observed with codeine, which contains Tylenol 3.

It was supposed to last until the beginning of autumn, caused by interruptions in production.

These medications are prescribed to treat a wide range of conditions, from acute injuries to chronic back pain.

Sadaf Faisal, senior director of professional affairs for the Canadian Pharmacists Association, said codeine-containing medications such as Tylenol 3 are back in stock. Supplies remain limited for Tylenol 2 and 4, which she said are being prescribed less frequently.

Shortages of medications containing acetaminophen with oxycodone continue, and Faisal said the manufacturer has indicated that some supplies will be available in December, although there will be restrictions due to backlogged orders.

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“We hope the situation will improve by the new year,” Faisal said.

She said there are other painkillers with similar ingredients that doctors can prescribe as alternatives.

Mina Tadrous, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto, says changing a patient's pain medication can take a lot of time and resources, putting pressure on an already overburdened system.

“Talking to the pharmacists and the team early before you run out of medication is very important because no one wants to deal with it the day you run out of anything,” Tadrous said.

According to the Canadian Pharmacists Association, there are between 1,500 and 2,000 active drug shortages across the country at any given time.

Tadrous said when shortages spread to commonly used drugs, the effects are felt on a larger scale.

“When there's a shortage or some kind of break in the supply chain, it's like a slow moving train. It takes time and then it kind of hits,” Tadrous said.

“The problem is that once it’s depleted, it takes months to replenish it.”