Most Canadians are concerned about drug shortages, according to a new survey, and industry experts suggest their concerns are warranted.
The recent by Abacus Data found that 69 per cent of respondents were worried about the shortages, particularly those who were older, less wealthy and less educated.
The survey, commissioned by the , found that Canadians trust pharmacists to provide alternate drug options during a shortage. But identifying an alternate during a shortage isn鈥檛 always simple and could lead to unexpected side-effects or interfere with allergies, according to Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, professor emerita at Queens University and founder of .
鈥淲e don鈥檛 really have a good list of substitute drugs,鈥� she told 麻豆传媒 Channel on Monday. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a scramble that takes place. It鈥檚 very time consuming and it鈥檚 anxiety creating for everybody involved.鈥�
The scramble is happening all over the country, where there is a shortage of nearly 1,700 medications, according to the government鈥檚 .
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge problem,鈥� said Duffin. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been seeing dreadful shortages since about 2010.鈥�
The shortages affect mostly generic drugs, but not exclusively: drugs for the cardiovascular system that treat blood pressure and help prevent heart failure; drugs for neurological conditions and dermatologic conditions; pain killers of all types; and, even drugs used in chemotherapy for cancer.
The reasons for the shortages are not always simple to pin down, said Duffin, because there is a dearth of information.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not enough accountability or transparency in the system for us to know,鈥� she said. So instead experts identify clusters of causes: sometimes manufacturing causes within a factory, or marketing causes when a drug becomes too expensive to produce, for example.
鈥淥ne (factor) is it gets too expensive to make it, another is that competition has driven the price down too low that there鈥檚 no money to be earned in making it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he problem is that many of the drugs that go into short supply have only one manufacturer, so there isn鈥檛 another maker of exactly the same molecule.鈥�
Last year, Canada made it mandatory to give notice when a drug shortage may occur. But often manufacturers don鈥檛 know soon enough. If there鈥檚 a problem in the factory, or a problem getting raw materials, the notice often seems delayed. Most shortages are declared the week or the day that the shortage occurs.
鈥淚ndividuals don鈥檛 have notice,鈥� she said. 鈥淯sually they hear about it when they show up at the pharmacy wanting to renew their prescription and they discover they just can鈥檛 get it.鈥�
