Here are the factors experts say are contributing to Canada’s drug shortages – CTV
Dec. 1, 2023
In a few weeks, Lynda Millard will run out of a medication that has been critical to her digestive function since she had three feet of her small intestine removed in 2015.
Cholestyramine is used to treat high cholesterol and remove bile acids from the body. Most digestion and absorption of food takes place in the small intestine, and patients like Millard often suffer from a condition called bile acid diarrhea, which can severely impact quality of life and lead to dangerous vitamin and mineral imbalances. Cholestyramine helps manage this condition.
Unfortunately for Millard and patients like her, it’s one of more than 1,800 drugs currently in shortage in Canada.
“I can no longer get this medication,” 75-year-old Millard, told CTVNews.ca in an email. “Everywhere I have called I’ve been told it’s back-ordered until ‘some time in 2024.’ My Doctor contacted a gastroenterologist and was told there is no substitute available as other brands have been discontinued.”
