Industry experts say there is a growing list of drugs that are out of stock or out of stock, from allergy medicine for children and cough and cold syrup for adults to eye drops and even some oral antibiotics. The situation leaves pharmacists scrambling to find alternatives, while many Canadians end up in doctor’s clinics or emergency rooms for ailments they would normally treat at home. Pam Kennedy, pharmacist and owner of Bridgewater Guardian Pharmacy on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, says up to 30 percent of prescription drugs are now on order. It says some brands are experiencing a shortage that stretches into early 2023. Kennedy says the problem “continues to get worse” as alternatives used to replace key drug shortages are now also running low. For example, powders used to make drugs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen are now in short supply, he says.
Many medicines are not available
Meanwhile, Kennedy says many other over-the-counter medications are not available. “I don’t think there’s been a Buckley’s liquid available for months,” he says of a popular brand of cough syrup. “The lack of cough and cold was problematic.” The pharmacy placed a limit on the number of children’s Tylenol, Advil or Motrin containers customers could buy when it was in stock, Kennedy says. He says he had a grandmother buy some to send to her grandchildren in Alberta. In New Brunswick, he says some people cross the border into the United States to buy medicine.
