Measures to reduce drug shortages in Canada during COVID-19 worked

By
Kristie Jones
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Measures introduced to reduce shortages of prescription drugs in Canada during the pandemic in March 2020 appeared to be somewhat effective, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Drug shortages are an ongoing issue in Canada and other countries, with almost half of all drugs running short during the last 5 years. Amidst worries that the pandemic would exacerbate the situation because of supply chain disruptions and increased demand for some drugs used to treat patients with COVID-19, the federal Minister of Health issued an interim order that allowed certain key drugs at high risk of shortage to be imported and sold in Canada. Among other actions taken to address the issue, the federal government also amended the Patent Act on March 25, 2020, to allow manufacturers to make, use or sell versions of patented drugs without requiring negotiation with patent holders.

To determine whether these policies were successful, researchers used a time series analysis to track drug shortage rates over time and found that rates of prescription drug shortages reduced markedly in the first year after new legal flexibilities were introduced and then plateaued.

“The new measures to resolve and reduce shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to have had a substantial positive impact,” writes Dr. Reed Beall, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, with coauthors. “These measures should be maintained, sustained and built upon in the long term to minimize the harms caused to patient care and to professional practice.”

The policies were made permanent in March 2022.

“Our study adds to the literature on drug shortage tracking during the COVID-19 pandemic by observing that Canada’s high rates of drug shortages declined (especially among non-patented drugs) in the first year after the institution of interim shortage mitigation policies,” conclude the authors.

“COVID-19 and the prevalence of drug shortages in Canada: a cross-sectional time series analysis from April 2017 to April 2022” was published June 13, 2022.