News & insight.

Ottawa Signals Indefinite MAID Exclusion for Mental Illness Alone and Proposes Advance Requests

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.

Health Canada Database Lists Trimbow as Marketed in Canada

Health Canada’s Drug Product Database now records the triple-combination COPD inhaler Trimbow as marketed, with a status date of September 24, 2026. The product was authorized in May 2025; the new database status is a market-availability signal, not a new approval or confirmation of public coverage. The update is a timely prompt for pharmacists to review its COPD-only indication, place in therapy, and inhaler counselling points.

Manitoba Regulator Orders Fine and Practice Limits After Pharmacy Oversight Admissions

A College of Pharmacists of Manitoba discipline decision details a pharmacy manager’s guilty plea to 10 counts involving dispensing, controlled-drug records and inventory oversight. The panel ordered a $15,000 fine, a two-year restriction on serving as a preceptor, and a routine inspection of the pharmacy. It also distinguished the manager’s admitted oversight failures from a staff pharmacist’s independent actions that left thousands of doses unaccounted for.

Dalhousie Scholarship Will Support African Nova Scotian Pharmacy Students Across the PharmD

Dalhousie alumna Natalie Borden has established a renewable $4,000 annual scholarship for African Nova Scotian students entering the university’s College of Pharmacy. The award is designed to continue through all four years of the PharmD program, with preference for students from Pictou County. The initiative connects financial support, representation and pharmacy workforce development; Dalhousie has not provided an application deadline in its announcement.

Cochrane Review Links Some Drug Promotion With Prescribing Changes, but Evidence Has Limits

An updated review of 93 studies found associations between drug-company promotion and prescribing patterns. Most evidence came from the United States and Europe, limiting what can be concluded for Canadian pharmacy practice.

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.

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.

U.S. Recarbrio Withdrawal Raises Antibiotic Access Questions; Canada Still Lists It as Marketed

Merck is withdrawing Recarbrio from the U.S. market, while Health Canada’s database still lists the product as marketed. Canadian supply cannot be inferred from either fact alone.