Children's medicine shortage continues on Vancouver Island despite help from federal government
Federal aid in the form of children's cold and flu medicine is trickling in to Vancouver Island pharmacies but the resupply is doing little to address shortages, with the medication running out again almost as quickly as it arrives.
"There’s definitely way more demand than supply," says Lindsay Dixon of the Heart Pharmacy Group on Vancouver Island.
The company has six locations in Greater Victoria, and Dixon says each of them have received a couple shipments of acetaminophen from the federal government to address the national shortage of children’s cold and flu medicine.
Unfortunately, it's not enough, she says.
"When we say shipments, it's like maybe 12 bottles," she says. "So it's in very, very small supply."
As the shortage of children’s medicine continues into peak cold and flu season, the pharmacy is recommending that parents consult a pharmacist about alternative options if the preferred liquid medicine is unavailable.
"We are often keeping it behind the counter so the pharmacist can counsel the patient and make sure that no one is taking more than one bottle at once because we know that this is in such short supply, and it's needed for the sickest patients," she says.
"Sometimes that involves splitting a tablet in half or crushing a tablet or something like that, and mixing into an apple sauce or pudding," says Dixon.
Dixon says that unless the federal government prioritizes domestic manufacturing and an essential medicines list, shortages like this may continue in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.