The federal government announced Feb. 10 that Canadian pharmaceutical companies must post all actual and anticipated medication shortages in coming months, a move that is welcomed by the epilepsy advocacy community.
Drug shortages have affected the epilepsy community in recent years. In January 2013, it was announced that clobazam, an anticonvulsant medication, was in short supply. This caused great concern among people taking clobazam to control their seizures, as many had no other medication options.
For several years pharmaceutical companies have been able to voluntarily post medication shortages online at Drugshortages.ca, however, the limited response was not satisfying many in the health-care community, according to consultations conducted by Health Canada last summer.
“This kind of activity and behaviour has to stop,” Health Minister Rona Ambrose said during a press conference in Vancouver, where the announcement was made.
Suzanne Nurse, an epilepsy information specialist and chair of the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance’s drug shortages committee, was in Vancouver for the announcement. She says medication shortages can cause serious health and safety issues for people living with seizure disorders, so the announcement is a step in the right direction.
During the 2013 clobazam shortage, the supply was already dwindling by the time the manufacturer reported the issue, which caused those requiring clobazam to scramble to find pharmacies with extra supply.
With mandatory reporting of current and impending medication shortages, much of this stress can be alleviated, Nurse says.
“This announcement shows an acknowledgement by the government that there needs to be a mandatory system for reporting medication shortages,” she says in a telephone interview.
“(The system will allow) everyone who is involved in the drug-supply chain, from the manufacturers to the patients, to have a heads-up when there’s an anticipated problem with supply.”
However, the overall impact of the mandatory reporting system is largely dependent on what happens with the information posted, Nurse notes.
The best way the information could be used would be to avert potential drug shortages, she says. Stakeholders, such as Health Canada and drug manufacturers, will hopefully be able to work together to understand the reason for shortages and, if possible, to prevent them.
“If those things happen, then the impact of this is huge,” she says.
Writer: Deron Hamel
If you have feedback on this story, or have a story of your own that you would like to share, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com. You can also leave a comment below.
