‘We still need the shipment’, Alberta will soon receive more children’s medication
Posted February 2, 2023 3:42 pm.
Last Updated February 3, 2023 9:16 am.
A shipment of children’s medication Alberta ordered from Turkey is getting closer to arriving.
Health Canada has approved the shipment of acetaminophen. However, labeling is still pending on the product.
No word yet from Health Canada on the status of Ibuprofen also purchased by Alberta.
The province first announced the order in early December as it dealt with a more difficult-than-average flu season – especially for children.
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Pressures from the flu season have since subsided on the healthcare system.
Health Minister Jason Copping says he’s hopeful the product will move within days and believes there still is demand for it.
“There is still a shortage here and so we are quite comfortable that for Alberta. We still need the shipment and again the shelf life on this is for two years so it’s not just about this season but for next season as well. In addition, we’ll share with other provinces if they have needed as well,” said Copping during a press conference on Thrusday.
An initial shipment of 250,000 bottles of kids’ meds arrived in Alberta from Turkey in January for hospitals.
In a statement to CityNews regarding the remaining 4.75 million bottles of children’s pain and fever medications, Alberta Health Services said, “we’re hopeful we’ll have final approval very soon.”
“We’re looking to confirm directly with Health Canada that they have approved importation of the outstanding acetaminophen products, so that we can finalize plans to bring them to Canada for parents who are waiting for them. Assuming we get confirmation, we can have them here very soon, potentially within a couple of weeks,” the statement continued. “We’re also continuing to work to secure Health Canada’s approval on the outstanding ibuprofen products.”
