Pediatric analgesics
Due to an increase in viral illnesses in recent weeks, many pharmacies are temporarily out of children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen products. The situation should slowly improve. As of next week, approximately 125 bottles of pediatric painkillers will arrive in each Quebec pharmacy, told The Press the president of the Association of pharmacist-owners, Benoit Morin. By mid-December, the same quantity should arrive from Australia. The products will be accessible at the pharmacist’s counter or on the shelves with a limit of one bottle per person, added Mr. Morin. Until then, the pharmacist reminds that other actions can be taken to replace acetaminophen. “If your child starts to have a fever, you can keep him well hydrated, give him a lukewarm bath, don’t dress him too warmly, and don’t cover him with thick blankets,” he says.
amoxicillin for toddlers
Due to the resurgence of diseases in children, oral amoxicillin for children is also out of stock. This antibiotic, known as banana syrup, is frequently used to treat pneumonia, ear infections and bronchitis. “In the last two weeks, we had an increase in orders from pharmacies of around 300%,” said the director of the Quebec Association of Pharmacy Distributors, Hugues Mousseau. “It’s often the first choice of antibiotic in children, but there are others,” adds Mr. Morin, adding that amoxicillin is still available in an adult version. The problem is not unique to Canada, as the United States and France are also reporting shortages.
Clavulin for children
The oral antibiotic amoxicillin/clavulanic acid for children, commonly known as clavulin, is also out of stock. “It’s annoying for parents, but fortunately in Quebec, pharmacists have the right to change the kind of antibiotics prescribed by the doctor. It takes more time for the pharmacist, but we are not caught in a dead end,” says Mr. Morin.
Reserves
Every day, pharmacy distributors have to deal with dozens of shortages, caused by a variation in supply or demand, explains Mr. Mousseau. Thanks to the reserves, these shortages rarely have an effect on the population. This is the case, for example, of lorazepam, an anxiolytic used to treat anxiety, anxiety and insomnia, among other things in end-of-life care. “We’re not badly taken, because we have something else, but there shouldn’t be a cascading effect on these other products,” says Mr. Morin. He recalls that there are national reserves of drugs for hospitals. Separately, companies that make acetylcysteine, a drug that thins mucus, and vigabatrin, an antiepileptic, have also reported temporarily out of stock. “The number in Quebec is high enough for there to be no short-term concerns,” said Mousseau, however.