News & insight.

Health Canada Updates Drug-Shortage Guidance on Reporting, Imports and Expiry Dates

Health Canada revised six drug and medical-device shortage guides on October 7, clarifying reporting, foreign-authorized supply and batch-specific expiry extensions. The documents explain regulated-party processes; they do not give pharmacies blanket permission to import medicines or extend expiry dates.

Toronto Star Links Former Pharmacist to Project South; OCP Record Details Licence Revocation

A Toronto Star report links former Ontario pharmacist Sina Salehi to Project South. Separately, the Ontario College of Pharmacists’ published decision explains the misconduct findings behind the revocation of his licence.

NAPRA Cancels December NDSAC Meeting and Sets March 2027 Submission Deadline

Ontario Sets Conditions for Out-of-Country Funding of Some Drug-Administration Services

A new Ontario regulation spells out when certain drug-administration services received outside Canada can qualify for provincial funding, including a narrow exception for temporary drug unavailability and urgent travel.

OCP Reports Complaint-Processing Pressure as Intake Grows

OCP’s September board report describes pressure on complaint-review timelines and a response plan. More complaints do not, by themselves, prove more misconduct.

OCP Keeps Technician Fee Framework and Inflation Adjustment Method Unchanged

OCP retained its pharmacy technician fee framework after a review. The decision preserves the inflation-adjustment method; it is not a permanent fee freeze.

OCP Approves Learning Framework for Three Pharmacy Services Still Awaiting Authorization

OCP approved learning guidance for sore throat, swimmer’s ear and buprenorphine administration. Government authorization remains a separate, pending step.

CPSO Proposes Eight-Week Limit and No Take-Home Doses for Safer Supply

CPSO will consider tighter safer-supply prescribing expectations on October 13. The proposal is not yet approved, and pharmacy implementation questions remain.

New Controlled-Substance Rules Take Effect: What Ontario Pharmacy Teams Need to Know

Federal controlled-substance rules took effect October 1. Ontario pharmacy teams gain a permanent framework, but provincial scope limits still apply.

Nasal Epinephrine Moves Toward Pharmacist-Supervised Access in New NAPRA Proposal

NAPRA’s September 28 interim recommendation would place emergency epinephrine nasal spray in Schedule II. Pharmacies can prepare for pharmacist-supervised access, but the proposal is not yet a final scheduling decision.

U.S. Drug-Price Linking Creates New Access Questions for Canada

New U.S. “most-favoured-nation” agreements link Medicaid costs to lower foreign prices. For Canada, the concern is future access decisions—not an automatic price increase.