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By Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press

Provincial Politics

Alberta strikes deal to off-load remaining batch of controversial children’s medicine

Jun 27, 2025 | 1:46 PM

The Alberta government has reached a deal to off-load what remains of its controversial stockpile of unused children’s pain and fever medicine.

Kristi Bland, with Alberta Health Services, says they are donating the medicine to the charity group Health Partners International of Canada.

Bland says shipments have begun and more are expected in the coming months.

Jackie Cousins, president of Health Partners, says they work with partners to ship medicine where it is needed, and confirms some of the Alberta medicine will go to war-torn Ukraine.

The medication has proven to be problematic for Premier Danielle Smith’s government after it struck a deal for the medicine three years ago to fill a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Alberta paid $70 million to a private provider for the medicine but has since sat on 1.4 million bottles after front-line health staff reported problems with it, including how the medicine’s thicker consistency risked clogging feeding tubes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.

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