30-day limit on prescription refills lifted in most provinces

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TORONTO — Most Canadian provinces have now eased their restrictions on the supply of prescription drugs.

Ontario is one of the latest provinces to take this measure. Starting Monday, residents will no longer face a 30-day limit on the amount of prescription medication they’re able to receive at once. Ontarians will be able to receive up to 100 days’ worth of medication once again.

Ontario was one of several provinces that imposed limits on the supply of prescription drugs that pharmacies are able to dispense. These restrictions took effect in March, and only allowed pharmacies to hand out 30 days’ worth of medication instead of a usual 90 or 100 days.

These decisions were made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that pharmacists would not run out of medications.

Similar to Ontario, the province of Alberta will also be relaxing its 30-day limit on the supply of prescription medications. Effective June 15, residents will be able to receive a 100 days’ worth of prescription drugs instead of the current 30-day supply.

The province of Manitoba lifted its own limit on medication refills starting May 11, while Saskatchewan’s decision to remove restrictions took effect on May 20.

In British Columbia, the province’s College of Pharmacists left the decision to limit prescription drug supplies up to individual pharmacies. Some that had previously decided to restrict the amount of medication given to customers have since lifted those limits.

Meanwhile in Quebec, a 30-day limit on the supply of medications continues to be in effect.

In New Brunswick, the 30-day limit on the supply of prescription medications was lifted on April 24. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador began to ease its own restrictions starting May 4, while pharmacies in Prince Edward Island saw their restrictions lifted as of May 22.

Finally, Nova Scotia announced that its 30-day limits on certain prescription medications would be lifted as of May 19. For medications considered to be in short supply by different pharmacies, a 30-day limit remains in place.