Mr. Speaker, the November announcement related to the additional supply of acetaminophen and ibuprofen being available in Canada refers to the private sector-led importation of foreign-labelled product. No federal procurement took place in this regard, nor were there incremental costs incurred by the Government of Canada.
Addressing the complex issue of drug shortages requires collaborative action from provinces and territories, manufacturers, distributors, health care professionals, and the federal government. Health Canada has been working closely with manufacturers, provinces and territories, and stakeholders across the health care system on mitigation strategies to limit the impact of this shortage. This includes actively working to identify options to increase supply. Domestic manufacturing is now at record levels, and nearly 1.9 million units of foreign-labelled product have been authorized for importation to Canada. To date, the department has approved eight proposals to import foreign products. For updates, please visit “Infant and children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen shortage” at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medical-devices/safe-use-medication-for-children/infant-childrens-acetaminophen-ibuprofen-shortage.html. This web page is updated as information on more products becomes available.
To help mitigate and prevent drug shortage, our government continues to support domestic manufacturing. Health Canada is actively working with distributors and retailers to promote fair distribution of supply across Canada. A particular focus of this effort has been to ensure that rural, remote, and indigenous populations have access to these needed medicines.