Alberta secures five million bottles of children’s pain medication

News conference addressing the shortage in children’s medication, Tuesday, December 6, 2022. (Government of Alberta – YourAlberta on YouTube)

Smith said cold and flu season is always challenging and the lack of medication is causing additional stress for Alberta families, and a strain on the healthcare system.

She stated, “Right now, your government is working with Alberta Health Services [AHS] and Health Canada on the details and logistics to import this medicine.”

Smith added that residents “can feel confident that we are all moving as quickly as we can so that Alberta families can get what they need.”

Once the drug establishment licensing approval process is completed, the medication will be delivered to Alberta over 10 air shipments, according to the province.

Health Minister Jason Copping said, “When a shipment is received, the bottles will be available for ordering by pharmacies across the province and distributed within a couple of days.”

He continued, “Each bottle will be available to pharmacies at a price that lets them sell it at the average retail price. This is to make sure that the medication remains affordable for Alberta families.”

The provincial government added that individual pharmacies will have the ability to issue the medication from behind the counter if they are concerned about their store’s supply.

Copping said once there is sufficient stock in pharmacies and in hospitals, the government will work alongside Health Canada to determine how “some of this supply” can be shared with other provinces and territories.

Read more Lethbridge News Now.

by Justin Goulet

Alberta secures five million bottles of children’s pain medication

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