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CSHP Speaks Up on Drug Shortages

Drug shortages affect patient care. What is CSHP doing in response to the growing number of drug shortages?

• Responding to various media enquiries
• Working with various key organisations to provide pharmacists, physicians, and Canadians with more information and transparency in the drug supply chain. This includes presenting to the Pharmacy Advisory Council of HealthPRO (Sep 19, 2011)

With the collective efforts of BIOTECanada, the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS), the Canadian Association for Pharmacy Distribution Management (CAPDM), the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA), the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) and the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, changes are coming to help improve the way information about drug shortages is shared in Canada.

To date, the working group of these organisations has achieved the following:

• We learned more about the Drug Shortages Resource Center managed by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in collaboration with the Drug Information Service of the University of Utah.
• By conducting surveys, we gauged the demand for a national reporting/monitoring system and the kinds of information that would be of most value to pharmacists and physicians. Collectively, approximately 1 300 pharmacists and physicians responded. A summary report of the survey of pharmacists conducted by CSHP and CPhA is available. Thank you to those who responded to the surveys!
• We have a better understanding of Health Canada’s perspectives after meeting with Paul Glover, Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Products and Food Branch.
• We explored opportunities to partner with various organizations who currently host regional drug shortage reporting systems in order to expand the information currently available and to take on a more national scope.

Starting in the fall of 2011, Rx&D and CGPA will collect information (including name and dosage form of the drug in short supply, reason for shortage, expected duration of the shortage, and notification that the shortage is resolved) from their member companies on current and impending drug shortages. This national-level information will be provided to two existing drug shortage websites: the Saskatchewan Drug Information Service (http://druginfo.usask.ca/healthcare_professional/drug_shortages.php) and Vendredi.PM (http://fridaypm.ca/).

In the long run, the working group will continue to work towards creating a national, “one-stop shop” drug shortages monitoring system.

Additional information: Visit the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

• WIHI: Managing Medication Shortage: Best Practices for a Crisis. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; [2011]. (Available on www.ihi.org. To locate the audio recording of the webinar, enter the term ‘WIHI archive managing medication shortage’ in the search box on IHI’s home page.]

October 2011