Differences in drug shortages in the US and Canada

Background
Drug shortages are a persistent public health issue that increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the US and Canada follow similar regulatory standards and require reporting of drug-related supply chain issues that may result in shortages. However, it is unknown what proportion are associated with meaningful shortages (defined by a significant decrease in drug supply) and whether differences exist between Canada and the US.

Objective
This study examines how frequently are reports of drug-related supply chain issues in the US vs Canada were associated with drug shortages.

Methods
Longitudinal cross-sectional study conducted from January 2023 to March 2024 using drug-related reports of supply chain issues from 2017 to 2021 that were less than 180 days apart in Canada and the US. Shortages were assessed using data from the IQVIA Multinational Integrated Data Analysis database, comprising 89% of US and 100% of Canadian drug purchases.

Results
Among the 104 drug-related reports of supply chain issues in both countries, 49.0% were associated with drug shortages in the US vs 34.0% in Canada. The lower risk of drug shortages in Canada vs the US was consistent before the COVID-19 pandemic and after the pandemic. After combining reports of supply chain issues in both countries, the shortage risk was double for sole-sourced drugs and nearly half for Canadian tier 3 medicines (moderate risk).


Conclusion
Drug-related reports of supply chain issues were 40% less likely to result in meaningful drug shortages in Canada compared with the US. 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.

Citation
Tadrous M, Callaway Kim K, Hernandez I, Rothenberger S, Devine J, Hershey T, Maillart L, Gellad W, Suda K. (2024). Differences in Drug Shortages in the US and Canada. JAMA.

Access the full article:


Date Released: October 31, 2024

Please note that this report is NOT COMPLETE and is still in progress. Click below if you would like to continue.