Quebec to receive 160,000 bottles of children's pain medication from U.S. amid ongoing shortage

Children's cold and flu medication becoming harder to find on pharmacy shelves.

An additional 160,000 bottles of pediatric acetaminophen are expected to arrive on pharmacy shelves in the province within days, the Quebec Association of Drug Distributors (AQDP) announced Thursday.

Canada is experiencing a shortage of children's medications, including acetaminophen and ibuprofen, also known by the brand names Tylenol and Advil.

The drugs in question come from the manufacturer Johnson & Johnson in the United States. They are 120 ml bottles of Tylenol for children aged two to 11 at a concentration of 160 mg per 5 ml, cherry flavoured with no dye.

Hugues Mousseau, executive director of the AQDP, expects the products to be distributed to all 1,900 pharmacies in Quebec by Christmas, thanks to the work of the teams at the six distribution centers.

He pointed out that this new arrival is in addition to "the record quantities of products supplied for months by the manufacturers of pediatric analgesics, which already correspond to double the usual volumes."

"Despite the positive developments, Quebec pharmacy distributors expect the current shortage to continue as demand for over-the-counter pediatric pain medication has continued to grow significantly over the past few weeks," says Mousseau.

He urged families to limit themselves to purchases of immediate necessity and not to stockpile.

Imported bottles will be packaged in English only. However, the AQDP specifies that tools will be available to consult the information in French, notably in pharmacies and on the tylenol.ca website.

The drugs will be available at Familiprix, Jean Coutu, Kohl & Frisch, Pharmaplus, McKesson Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 15, 2022.