There is growing concern in the medical community as Canadian doctors and pharmacists face repeated shortages of vital drugs, some of which are used in the fight against critical diseases like cancer.
While patient care hasn't been directly affected by the shortcomings, Canadian pharmaceutical groups are calling for systemic changes to ensure that ample supplies are kept in the future.
In particular, the groups say that a national drug registry should be created, allowing the medical community to know when shortages are coming.
In the past year, there have been shortages of basic antibiotics, anesthetics and cancer medications at Canadian institutions. It's an ongoing problem that has put staff at major hospitals on edge across the country.
One such institution is Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital, which has experienced shortfalls of the low-cost, generic cancer drug carboplatin.
Last week, staff were forced to scramble and get stock from an Australian hospital just to meet patient demand.
"It is worrisome," said Dr. Malcolm Moore, who is a pharmacology expert and medical doctor at the Princess Margaret.
"The reality is that we continue to use the older drugs as well, and they are the basis of many of the most effective treatments we have."
Doctors in the U.S. are also facing similar concerns, said Dr. Maurie Markman from the Cancer Treatment Centres of America in Philadelphia.
"The bottom line is… these drugs are often necessary (and) are not available for oncologists to use when we need them," Markman said. "The problem appears to be getting worse."
While cancer drug shortages are worrying, so are the shortfalls of painkillers, antibiotics and anesthetics.
So what's behind the supply issues? Manufacturers say that shortages of raw materials, production glitches and government rules that slow down production are all leading to the problems.
According to Jeff Morrison from the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the problem does seem to be getting worse.
"This episode of shortages which has lasted the last year has really been unprecedented in terms of degree and depth of which a lot of drugs are short," he said.
Another key problem is that hospitals in Canada aren't notified about potential supply shortfalls, meaning they can't plan ahead. But with a registry system, hospitals and doctors would be able to document the problems so that work can start on finding solutions.
Moore agrees that something needs to be done in Canada, so doctors aren't forced to scramble at the last minute.
"We need to have a system in place that ensures there is a consistent supply of these drugs," he said.
Teva, the company that manufactures carboplatin, stated in a release Friday that through increased production, it expects to meet Canadian demand by the end of June.
"These initiatives demonstrate Teva Canada's long-term commitment to maintaining a reliable supply of high-quality affordable medications to patients and pharmacies across Canada," the statement said.
With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and prodcuer Elizabeth St, Philip
