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COVID-19 hasn’t affected Canada’s drug supply

Published

5 years ago

February 19, 2020

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has disrupted the Chinese economy as the government shuttered cities and imposed travel restrictions, the International Monetary Fund has said.

And as China is also a major global pharmaceutical manufacturer, experts are starting to ask what this disruption could mean for the world’s drug supply.

“Pharmaceuticals across the board really are at risk,” said Thomas Bollyky, director of the Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.

“China produces 80 per cent of the world’s supply of active pharmaceutical ingredient. Those are the parts of the pills that actually do something.”

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Antibiotics are of particular concern, he said, “Not only because so much of those supplies come out of China, but because they play a systemic role in the health care system.”

Very few of Canada’s drugs are actually made domestically, said Dr. Jacalyn Duffin, a hematologist and medical historian, and professor emerita at Queen’s University.

Duffin, who runs the website canadadrugshortage.com, said that many of the raw materials in the drug supply are made in China.

“Drugs get put together rather like cars get put together, from parts made all over the world,” she said. Even when the drug is assembled in North America, “The raw materials for making those drugs do come in a large proportion from China.”

In 2019, a representative from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration testified to Congress that drug manufacturing had increasingly moved out of the U.S.

Just 28 per cent of the facilities making active ingredients for the U.S. market were located in the U.S., the FDA said, with China accounting for 13 per cent, India 19 per cent, and the European Union, 26 per cent.

Canada is likely not much different, Duffin suggested.

“I know that very few of the drugs that are sold and used in Canada are made in Canada and consequently we are obviously going to be dependent. To what extent? I don’t know,” she said.

It hasn’t happened yet, though. While Canada currently has more than 2,000 ongoing drug shortages, none of them are related to COVID-19 problems, she said.

Barry Power of the Canadian Pharmacists’ Association says Canadian pharmacies aren’t noticing COVID-19-related trouble yet.

“To date, we haven’t heard of any increase in drug shortages,” he said. “The number that we’re seeing reported is pretty consistent with what we had at the end of 2019.

“It’s definitely a situation that we’re watching. However, there is a lot of potential for disruption of manufacturing, of the raw ingredients and some tablets and capsules and so on, manufactured in plants in China.”

He has, however, heard some reports from pharmacists of people buying up face masks — something he says doesn’t make sense as they’re not even very helpful against COVID-19.

“Our position is that masks aren’t needed. They’re not recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada. So we really discourage people from trying to buy them,” he said.

People’s unnecessary mask purchases are causing shortages for those who do need them — dentists and other health professionals, he said.

Canada keeps a stockpile of essential supplies for emergency situations, which includes pharmaceuticals. Many warehouses also maintain a stockpile of medications, Power said.

Duffin thinks the current worries about COVID-19 are highlighting the need for more research into the causes of drug shortages, which she says can include everything from spikes in demand, to weather disasters, to international sanctions — especially in cases when key ingredients are made in a handful of locations with no back-up suppliers.

“It shows that these causes of drug shortages are international and multinational in their scope,” she said.

“If we’re going to get to the bottom of drug shortages, we really do need to start talking about it and we need to start talking to other countries.”

For now, Power says that Canadians shouldn’t worry about drug shortages as a result of the novel coronavirus.

“The COVID-19 crisis that we’re seeing right now in Canada is really more hype than reality at this point,” he said. He recommends talking to your pharmacist if you have concerns, as they can often recommend alternative medications.

“I think the main message in terms of the drug supply is, ‘Don’t panic.’”

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“The worst thing that we can do is to start acting as if there is a shortage when there isn’t, because that will create spill-over effects and additional shortages of medications that are really crucial for many people in Canada,” he said.

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Allen nets shutout as Devils burn Oilers 3-0

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.

The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.

TAKEAWAYS

Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.

Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.

KEY MOMENT

New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.

KEY RETURN?

Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.

OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN

The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.

The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Mahomes throws 3 TD passes, unbeaten Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24 in OT

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.

Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.

Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.

Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.

It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.

Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.

Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.

The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”

Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.

The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.

Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Chiefs: Host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

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AP NFL:

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NHL roundup: Kuemper helps visiting Kings shut out Predators 3-0

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.

Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.

Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.

Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.

Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.

The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:

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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0

EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.

Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.

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