News & insight.

Ontario Opens Fall Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination to High-Risk Groups

Ottawa Plans $32M Renewal for P.E.I. Prescription Drug Access

Federal and P.E.I. officials announced an intended investment of more than $32 million over three years to continue the province’s prescription-drug affordability program. For pharmacists, the announcement sustains existing access efforts but does not itself identify a new drug or coverage effective date.

WHO Sets First Integrated Obesity-Care Guidance for Children and Adolescents

WHO recommends integrated obesity care for children and adolescents, with distinct age-specific guidance on when medicines may be considered.

New Canadian Severe-Asthma Guideline Puts Individualized Biologic Care in Focus

A new Canadian Thoracic Society guideline updates treatment recommendations for children, adolescents and adults with severe asthma. The 2026 document puts greater emphasis on matching add-on therapy to disease features, biomarkers, age and prior response, while adding practical direction on home biologic administration.

Rabies Prevention for Travellers: Canada’s Advice Weighs Destination and Access to Care

Canadian travel-health guidance recommends assessing both rabies risk at the destination and whether prompt post-exposure care will be available. Updated NACI schedules and CATMAT’s traveller-specific advice support a more individualized pre-travel discussion—not a blanket recommendation for every trip.

IARC Estimates Infections Were Linked to 1 in 8 New Cancer Cases in 2024

IARC estimates that infections were associated with 2.3 million new cancers worldwide in 2024. The global analysis updates infection-linked cancer estimates and highlights prevention through vaccination, appropriate testing, treatment and screening.

Picky Eating at School: UBC Expert Urges Families to Look Beyond One Lunch

A fresh UBC interview reframes picky eating as a whole-day and school-context question. Pharmacy teams can listen for persistent concerns rather than promising a quick product fix.

Ontario Pharmacy Awards Recognize a Community Owner, Deprescribing Clinician and Technician Educator

OPA’s 2026 award recipients include Mark Stephens, Peter Zawadzki, Aya Al-Kubaisy and Paco Lei—recognizing leadership across community pharmacy, advocacy, clinical care and technician education.

Danielle Paes Interview Puts Canada’s Pharmacist-Led Care Capacity in Focus

A new video conversation with Danielle Paes explores Canadian pharmacist-led care. We frame five practical questions about scope, staffing, handoffs, outcomes and sustainability.

Glasgow Pharmacist-Led Drug-Checking Pilot Delayed Before Planned Opening

Glasgow’s planned pharmacist-led drug-checking pilot will not open on October 5 after an October 2 postponement. Its pharmacy role is clear, but testing has not begun.

Saskatchewan Drug Plan Outage Exposes the Work Behind a Missed Claim

A September 28 claims outage delayed Saskatchewan pharmacy transactions and left teams to manage patient communication and a backlog. The cause has not been publicly established.