Kids' Tylenol, Advil liquid and chewable in 'significant shortage' in Ontario
Tylenol and Advil for children – both in liquid and chewable forms – are under a “significant shortage,” leading pharmacists to control supply and recommend cutting adult doses for children, according to the Ontario Pharmacists Association.
“We're at a point where there are really none of those liquid or chewable options available for pharmacies to purchase, which puts it at a fairly significant shortage,” Jen Belcher, vice president of strategic initiatives and member relations for the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA), told CTV News Toronto.
About a month ago, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children began warning parents that some pharmacies were dealing with supply shortages of liquid Tylenol and Advil.
However, they had larger bottles of the medication available behind the counter and asked parents to obtain prescriptions in order for pharmacists to redistribute the medication into smaller bottles.
But since then, the supply has depleted further. In addition to liquid Tylenol and Advil, it now extends to chewables too, Belcher said.
There’s also a shortage of the larger bottles pharmacies were leaning on to redistribute supply about a month ago.
“Currently, as a pharmacist, I'm not even able to purchase those larger bottles that we would typically keep behind the counter. So really, what's out there in the field right now is what's available,” Belcher said.
“We have been in discussions with some of the manufacturers and the messaging we've gotten is that production is proceeding at the different facilities and has not been interrupted, but due to a big spike in demand, we're seeing this shortage,” she said.
At this time, SickKids told CTV News Toronto it is able to “maintain adequate supply” as they continue to keep “monitoring the situation closely.”
Interim Solution
Belcher said she is hoping to see a return to normal supply levels by mid to late fall.
In the meantime, the OPA is recommending pharmacists only sell one or two bottles of the medication at a time to prevent stockpiling.
At some pharmacies, Belcher said they are creating their own version of kids’ Tylenol and Advil by mixing raw ingredients in-house to manufacture a similar product.
Another option is cutting the adult swallowable tablets into smaller doses. Belcher said kids as young as two or three years old who weigh 24 to 35 pounds can take half of an adult tablet.
While she acknowledged that swallowing a tablet can be a challenge for younger children, there is also an option to crush the medication and mix it into applesauce or chocolate syrup.
“I've got a toddler that just entered preschool and the number of runny noses and fevers I think even just within his classrooms in the last two weeks, it's an unfortunate time for these ingredients to be in short supply,” Belcher said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.