Canadians are buying kids’ pain medicine faster than anyone else and it’s unclear when the shortage will end, top doctor says

OTTAWA—Canadians are buying up infant and children’s pain medications at a faster rate than people in other countries, but just how long it will take to get store shelves consistently and reliably stocked with the drugs remains unknown, Canada’s top health officials said Friday.Frustrated parents have resorted to using expired drugs or turning to social media to source scarce bottles of products like liquid Tylenol or Advil for children and babies amid an ongoing shortage that began this spring. Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser at Health Canada, said Friday the shortage began with a rise in viral illness among children at a time of year where demand is typically low for medications used to treat fever and pain. In turn, drug makers weren’t making as much as they would during a regular cold or flu season.As the issue got more attention, people started snapping up what products they could, leading to further pressures on the supply, she said at a news conference on the latest in COVID-19 vaccines. “When you look at the buying in Canada compared to other countries that are very similar, that had similar patterns in terms of viral illnesses going up, Canada seems to be using or buying more of the product right now,” she said.Sharma said she understands the anxiety of having a screaming child in the middle of the night with fever and pain, but urged people not to stockpile. Manufacturers are doubling or in some cases tripling production and more supply is coming, she said.“We just need to be very careful about panic buying at this point in time,” she said.Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Friday he’s been on the phone with Canada’s leading manufacturers, impressing upon them how the shortages impact not just families but the health-care system as a whole and urging them to find a way around the problem.When asked, he did not know when the shortage would end.“They have assured me that the supply will keep increasing over the next few weeks and months to restock the inventory that has been low,” he said.“And, obviously, to prepare for the increased demand that we are going to continue to see over the next few weeks and months as COVID-19, flu and other viruses impact more the health of our children.”Duclos said he’s also reminded the manufacturers there are emergency regulations that could be used if it would help them get access to ingredients or more quickly import supplies, but he said companies have told him they don’t need them for now.On Johnson and Johnson’s website for Tylenol products, the company says its manufacturing plant is running 24 hours a day, seven days a week and products are shipping daily across the country.The company did not immediately return a request for more information Friday from the Star.The House of Commons health committee passed a motion Thursday suggesting one possible solution is for Canada to allow the importation of foreign language labelled products, as has been done with past medication shortages.Sharma said that avenue is open to producers and is being discussed.In a statement Friday morning, Health Canada said while the government is working to get medicines to all, children’s hospitals are a “particular area of focus” for replenishment. Children’s hospitals across Ontario are currently struggling under the weight of unprecedented demand. Alex Munter, the head of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, told members of Parliament recently that September was the busiest month on record in the five decades since the hospital opened and wait times were as long as 32 hours, driven in part by a surge in respiratory illnesses. Stephanie Levitz is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @StephanieLevitz