Increased demand for salbutamol inhalers due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reported shortage and limited supply said Health Canada.
Steps are being taken to mitigate the impact of the shortages and is providing advice to Canadians on how to conserve supply. At this time, most patients will receive only one inhaler at a time when they go to refill their prescriptions.
Salbutamol relieves the acute symptoms of medical conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory conditions, such as coughing, wheezing and feeling breathless. It relaxes the muscles of the airways, making it easier to breathe.
What consumers should do:
- Continue taking your regular medication for the maintenance of your respiratory condition, as prescribed. This will keep your asthma, COPD or other respiratory conditions under control and reduce your need for salbutamol to relieve acute symptoms.
- Carefully track your doses of salbutamol and ensure that you have a one-month supply of all your inhalers at home. Keep track of your medication supply and leave additional time to obtain your refills from the pharmacy.
- You should expect that when you go to refill your inhaler prescriptions, you will receive only a one-month supply of your inhaler in response to inventory control measures.
- In light of the shortage of salbutamol, do not discard recently expired inhalers unless you have already obtained a replacement. If you need to use your inhaler and have not been able to obtain a replacement for your expired inhaler, speak with a medical professional about using the expired inhaler.
- If you need to use your inhaler and have only an inhaler that was removed from the wrapper more than 60 days ago, speak with a medical professional about using this inhaler.
- Do not buy more medication than usual to help ensure that all Canadians continue to have access to the medications they need and to help prevent drug shortages.
Health Canada said it is working closely with other federal departments, provincial and territorial governments, international partners, and industry to help minimize the impact of this shortage and to help ensure that Canadians have access to the drugs they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes exploring access to international supplies and working with companies that are able to ramp up production, to increase supplies in Canada.
“Health Canada understands the stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and recognizes that Canadians may be concerned about not being able to get the medications they rely on for themselves and their loved ones.” said a press release.
To help conserve the supply of all medications, Canadians are asked not to purchase more medication than they need and asked health professionals to avoid prescribing or dispensing larger supplies of medication than necessary, to help prevent shortages caused by increased demand.
Canadians are encouraged to visit drugshortagescanada.ca for up-to-date information about drug shortages and estimated re-supply dates. Patients with questions or concerns about a drug shortage may also wish to speak to their health care professional.
