Canada's federal health minister says he's working with provinces to prevent the mass exportation of essential medications after thousands of doses of the diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic were shipped from British Columbia to the United States.
Jean-Yves Duclos says the level of “abuse” was “outrageous” after a Texas-based doctor with a licence to practise in Nova Scotia wrote 17,000 prescriptions for the drug that were filled by two pharmacies in B.C. then mailed to American residents.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia says it suspended the doctor's licence on an interim basis after learning of the prescriptions. Duclos says legal ways to prevent medications being exported in mass quantities in future will be explored through the Food and Drugs Act. B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, who took part in a news briefing with Duclos in Vancouver on Wednesday, says the province worked with Nova Scotia to take action within a few days after flagging the flow of thousands of doses of Ozempic to the U.S. over a three-month period.
Dix says assistant deputy health ministers from both the federal and provincial governments have met to discuss preserving Ozempic supplies for Canadians and will be looking for permanent solutions.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
15 First Nations Justice Council centres to open throughout British ColumbiaSince the signing of the BC First Nation Justice Strategy in 2020, one of the priorities outlined, the implementation of 15 First Nation justice centres throughout the province, is making progress.
Read more »
Heavy rain sets off high-water warnings for rivers in southern B.C.ELK VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA — High streamflow advisories have been issued for two more regions as heavy rain sweeps over British Columbia’s southern Interior.
Read more »
Heavy rain sets off high-water warnings for rivers in southern B.C.ELK VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA — High streamflow advisories have been issued for two more regions as heavy rain sweeps over British Columbia’s southern Interior.
Read more »
ELLE Decoration Canada: Discover Our Spring 2023 Issue | Elle CanadaWe're excited to release the Spring 2023 issue of ELLE Decoration Canada, featuring the rise of colour and travelling to exceptional places through your home — on newsstands now!
Read more »
Ozempic manufacturer calls for regulation of cross-border sales to prevent shortagesDrug manufacturer Novo Nordisk says Canada does not have a surplus of Ozempic to sell and any effort to stop cross-border sales needs to be national to be effective
Read more »
Pharmacists fear more drugs may fall into loophole that saw B.C. Ozempic sent to U.SCanada's pharmacists worry a lack of data about prescription management could see a repeat of the situation with diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic, in which thousands of doses have been mailed over the border to Americans.
Read more »