Supply Chain Issues Less Likely to Yield Drug Shortages in Canada Versus U.S.

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Drug-related reports of supply chain issues are less likely to result in drug shortages in Canada than in the United States, according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Mina Tadrous, Pharm.D., Ph.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues compared how frequently reports of drug-related supply chain issues in the United States versus Canada were associated with drug shortages in a longitudinal cross-sectional study.

The researchers found that 49.0 and 34.0 percent of the 104 drug-related reports of supply chain issues in both countries were associated with drug shortages in the United States versus Canada (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.53). The lower risk for drug shortages in Canada versus the United States was consistent before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.47 and 0.31, respectively). The shortage risk was double for sole-sourced drugs and almost half for Canadian tier 3 medicines (adjusted hazard ratios, 2.58 and 0.56, respectively) after combining reports of supply chain issues in both countries.

“These findings highlight the need for international cooperation between countries to curb the effects of drug shortages and improve resiliency of the supply chain for drugs,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb.

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