TORONTO-
Health Canada says some makers of children’s pain and fever medications are now operating “at double or triple their normal volumes” in a bid to address a months-long shortage.
Chief medical adviser Dr Supriya Sharma told a press briefing on Friday that the government was working with industry to address the supply shortage ahead of the flu season.
A shortage of common children’s painkillers containing acetaminophen and ibuprofen, such as Tylenol and Advil, which began in the spring, has caregivers across the country scrambling, with pharmacies imposing drug limits. buying on products or keeping inventory behind the counter.
Sharma said the government was also “exploring other options” to meet the need, including importing products from other countries, adding that the continuing problem was linked to an increase in the virus disease over the past year. summer and exacerbated by panic buying.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said he had personally spoken to several manufacturers – including Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, and Haleon, which makes Advil – about the need to increase supply and to respond to “unprecedented demand”.
Earlier this week, federal Conservative health critic Michael Barrett called on Ottawa to use emergency tools to allow the import of health products that comply with Canadian regulations.
Duclos said he stressed the need for industry to work with pediatricians and pharmacists to find short- and long-term solutions to the problem.
“I have been assured that an accelerated production rate increase will continue in order to meet the increased needs that we have seen over the past few months and which could probably continue in the coming months,” Duclos said. .
In the meantime, Sharma said parents should avoid panic buying, especially from sources that aren’t credible, adding that fevers in children are “usually” a symptom of an infection and not harmful.
“Not all fevers need to be treated,” Sharma said, suggesting hot baths and cold compresses as alternatives.
However, she said parents should see medical professionals for “very high” and “persistent” fevers or in children under three months old.
Health Canada also advises against using expired products, Sharma said, and warned of the risks of giving children adjusted doses of adult medications, “because it’s very easy to overdose acetaminophen and cause liver damage”.