Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says packaging issues have delayed the importation of children’s pain relief medication for retail pharmacies but that a small shipment for hospitals will arrive by this weekend.
The provincial government is still awaiting approval from Health Canada to import about 4.75 million bottles of acetaminophen and ibuprofen from Turkish company Atabay Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals, Ms. Smith told reporters on Tuesday. She said the last hurdle is ensuring the bottles have childproof caps.
“I don’t want to rush Health Canada. Certainly, I want to make sure that people, as soon as the supply arrives, that they feel confident in it. It really was just a matter of us meeting the regulatory conditions and that was the last condition we needed,” the Premier said. “It’s just taking a little longer than expected.”
In early December, the province announced a tentative deal with Atabay to import five million bottles of pain medication to address shortages amid a surge of respiratory infections among children. Ms. Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping said at the time that they anticipated bottles would hit local shelves by Christmas. Ten shipments are expected in total.
Natalie Mohamed, a spokesperson for Health Canada, said in a statement that the agency reviewed proposals in December to import the medications to Alberta for use in hospitals, community pharmacies and retail locations, and rendered a decision that same month. She declined to comment on the specifics but said that, in late December, they received a proposal specific to hospital use.
On Dec. 30, the federal government authorized paracetamol, more commonly known as acetaminophen, from Atabay to Alberta. The liquid suspension is for children aged two to 11. The Health Canada website does not list any authorizations for ibuprofen produced by the foreign manufacturer.
Ms. Smith confirmed on Tuesday that 250,000 units of the acetaminophen product will be distributed to Alberta Health Services facilities, with the first shipment to arrive by this weekend. She said the province is still working with Health Canada to meet the specifications for retail use, which includes French and English labelling.
Ms. Mohamed said Health Canada will consider other proposals for the importation of foreign-authorized product and will prioritize the review of proposals intended to alleviate shortages. She did not comment on whether an application is still pending for other Atabay products, but Ms. Smith said Alberta is almost done working through a “couple of hurdles.”
For a product to be considered for exceptional importation, Ms. Mohamed said Health Canada ensures it is approved by a regulatory authority in another country; that it is safe and effective and of comparable quality to products authorized in Canada; that supply-chain networks are authorized to conduct licensable activities; and that packaging and labelling are of standard.
Steve Buick, press secretary to Mr. Copping, declined to comment on Ms. Smith’s remarks Tuesday. He said previously that Alberta is paying a “small premium” over the planned retail price, but the total cost has not been shared publicly.
Alberta was also required to purchase the minimum amount of product set by the supplier. Mr. Buick said this was a necessary commitment to beat out prospective buyers from across the globe. There are plans to share excess bottles with other provinces and territories.
AHS did not respond to a request for comment.