Federal government will require mandatory reporting of drug shortages

VANCOUVER – The Federal Government will now require mandatory reporting of drug shortages from pharmaceutical companies.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose made the announcement in Vancouver on Tuesday, saying drug shortages are a very complex problem and they put pressure on the health system as a whole.

All companies will now be required to post drug shortages online, where doctors, patients and pharmacists will be able to quickly check what drugs are available and if possible, provide an alternative.

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The general public will also have access to a public registry on Health Canada’s website, and a third-party website will be set up in addition.

Ambrose says the public register will “name and shame” any companies who fail to post drug shortages. Those companies will also be fined.

Some companies have already volunteered to post their drug shortages online, but another recently failed to notify the public when it was running out of a drug to treat cancer.

More to come.

– With files from The Canadian Press