Some pharmacies are running out of fever and pain medication for young children. Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children warns that some of these over-the-counter medications may now require a prescription.
This concern was communicated in a letter sent to caregivers by the hospital. It said that pharmacies across Canada are facing supply shortages of liquid Tylenol and Advil.
“If your child requires the liquid form of acetaminophen, you will now require a prescription,” according to the letter. “It cannot currently be sold over the counter because it has to be repackaged from large bottles into smaller bottles by the pharmacist.”
This doesn’t mean that customers can no longer buy liquid Advil or Tylenol over the counter. The shortage, according to Jen Belcher, vice president of strategic initiatives and member relations for the Ontario Pharmacists Association, is affecting the smaller bottles typically sold over the counter. The recommendation to get a prescription is so that pharmacists can fill requests from larger stock bottles.
Moreover, customers can also consider other options besides the liquid formulation, such as chewable tablets.
The Ontario Pharmacists Association determines that the shortage is due to supply chain constraints during a period of high demand.
Meanwhile Kyle Bass, a Dallas-based hedge fund executive and a staunch critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), warns of something more sinister. The investor said on Twitter that the CPC may be “withholding key medicine from the West.”
China’s COVID lockdowns have impacted supply chains across every imaginable industry all over the world. And while this shortage is likely more closely related to that, the idea of the autocratic country “weaponizing” its drug exports is not new and unfounded.
In 2020, China threatened a Trump-led America with the idea of cutting the country’s access to these everyday medicines after the Trump administration called COVID-19 the “Wuhan Virus.” And then later that same year, China used the same threat when the White House heightened its focus on cracking down on Chinese digital platforms TikTok and WeChat.
Information for this briefing was found via Twitter and the companies and sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
