“We are announcing that we have secured a foreign supply of pediatric acetaminophen that will be available for sale in retail and community pharmacies in the coming weeks,” Health Canada said in a statement Monday. The regulator said it shared the concern of parents and carers who were unable to find acetaminophen and ibuprofen for young children. “Right now, Canadians should buy only what they need so other parents and caregivers have access to medicine so we can meet the needs of sick children.” The exact amount of the drug coming in was not disclosed by the regulator. Health Canada said it carefully reviewed the imported products and found them to be safe and effective. All information on dosage, ingredients and precautions and warnings will be available in both English and French. The introductions follow a months-long shortage of children’s pain and fever medicines on pharmacy shelves, leaving parents and carers scrambling for complex alternatives for those unable to swallow pills. Health professionals also attribute the increase in children and teenagers coming to hospitals and being admitted for respiratory illnesses in part to a lack of fever-reducing drugs. Health Canada previously had imports of pain and fever medications to hospitals, which it says are now being distributed. Pharmacists say increased demand for the drug, limited domestic supply and other factors are contributing to the shortages.
