Imports of kids’ Tylenol differ from what Canadians are used to. Here’s what we know

Imports of Children’s Tylenol Oral Suspension from the United States have some differences when compared to its Canadian equivalent, said Tylenol’s manufacturer Johnson & Johnson Inc. in an email to Global News Wednesday.

Health Canada confirmed on Nov. 18 that imported pain and fever products for kids will be available in pharmacies this week, as the country faces a nationwide shortage of children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

However, imported children’s Tylenol is somewhat different than their Canadian counterparts, Tylenol stated in a supply update.

The differences include but are not limited to non-medicinal ingredients; English-only labelling as opposed to bilingual labelling on Canadian packages; a difference in product size; and some differences in warnings and precautions.

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According to Health Canada, non-medicinal ingredients are substances added to a medicine formulation to confer suitable consistency or form to the medicinal ingredients.

Although non-medicinal ingredients do not adversely affect the safety or efficacy of the medicine, they might cause allergies in some patients.

The imported children’s Tylenol from the U.S. also has a larger product size of 120 millilitres, compared to Canadian products that are 100 millilitres in size.

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More than 1 million bottles of children’s pain and fever medications were expected to be imported into Canada by this week for hospitals, community pharmacies and retail outlets, according to Health Canada.

“This will supplement the production of Canadian supply, which is at a record high, with some companies producing about 100 per cent more than they were at the same time in 2021,” a statement on the agency’s website updated Monday reads.

Children’s Advil imports from the U.S. were authorized in October for hospitals, while children’s Tylenol was authorized this month for retail.

While there are currently no infant products imported for retail, Canada authorized Tylenol for babies aged one month to two years old imported from Australia for hospitals.

Parents and caregivers are advised to check with their family doctor or pediatrician for dosing in infants under four months of age, as a baby’s weight changes quickly and dosage is best determined by weight, according to Tylenol’s website.