The pharmacy briefing

News & insight.

Canadian pharmacy and therapeutics news: recalls, shortages, guideline updates and developments in practice.

125 results
Medication Safety

Health Canada Recalls Apo-Semaglutide Lot 7000636A Over Incorrect Dose Display

Apotex is recalling one lot of its 4 mg Apo-Semaglutide pen because the device may display and deliver 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg instead of the intended 1 mg dose. The Type II recall affects retailers in seven provinces.

Sep 28, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing
Photo: PerPlex via Wikimedia Commons — illustrative injection-pen image; not the recalled Apo-Semaglutide product. Source: Image source · Public domain.
Medication Safety

Health Canada Issues Type I Recall for Limited Units of Multiple Sanofi Insulin Pens and Cartridges

Health Canada has issued a national Type I recall for 1,043 units from specified lots of Admelog, Apidra, Lantus, Toujeo and Trurapi that may have frozen during shipping. Only certain units within the listed lots are affected, so pharmacies should use Sanofi’s shipment-level notification rather than treating every unit in a listed lot as recalled.

Sep 28, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels — illustrative insulin-pen image; not an affected recalled unit. Source: Image source · Pexels licence: Image source
Medication Safety

Health Canada Posts Type II Recall of Two IMAAVY Lots Over Possible Glass Particles

Health Canada has posted a national Type II recall for two lots of IMAAVY solution because they may contain glass particles. Hospital and institutional pharmacy teams should identify and isolate affected stock promptly.

Sep 26, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing
Photo: Jonathan Borba/Pexels — illustrative medical-vial image; not the affected IMAAVY product. Source: Image source · Pexels licence: Image source
Medication Safety

Alberta Naloxone Kit Claims Will Require a Personal Health Number Starting October 1

Alberta's Community Based Naloxone program will require a patient-specific personal health number for pharmacy claims beginning October 1, 2026. Pharmacy teams should update workflows for PHN collection, referrals and regulated-member oversight.

Sep 26, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing
Photo: New Brunswick / Nouveau-Brunswick via Wikimedia Commons — naloxone kit distributed in New Brunswick. Source: Image source · CC0 1.0: Image source
Practice Guidance

Canada's Drug Agency Recommends Public Coverage for Alzheimer's Drug Donanemab

Canada's Drug Agency has issued a draft recommendation supporting public reimbursement of donanemab for early Alzheimer's disease, with conditions on age, genetic status and price -- but the Alzheimer Society of Canada warns reimbursement alone won't guarantee access without system investment in diagnostics and infusion capacity.

Sep 24, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing
US National Institute on Aging / Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) -- a PET scan of a brain with Alzheimer's disease; illustrative, not from a specific patient in this recommendation.
Practice Guidance

Toronto Pharmacist Ordered to Write Essay After Patient Nearly Went Without Miscarriage-Prevention Medication

The Health Professions Appeal and Review Board has upheld an OCP decision against a Toronto Shoppers Drug Mart's designated manager, after a committee found pharmacy staff knew a pregnant patient was out of a miscarriage-prevention medication but told her to come back after a long weekend.

Sep 24, 2026 · 4 min read Read briefing
Woonjiawei, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) -- illustrative photo of pharmacists in discussion; not the pharmacy, pharmacist or patient involved in this case.
New Approvals

Health Canada Approves EPKINLY (Epcoritamab) Combination for Relapsed Follicular Lymphoma

Health Canada has approved EPKINLY (epcoritamab) with lenalidomide and rituximab for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, based on Phase 3 trial results showing a 79% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death versus the standard regimen alone.

Sep 24, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing
Nephron, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) -- H&E-stained micrograph of follicular lymphoma (illustrative, not from a specific patient in the trial).
Practice Guidance

Health Minister Says She's Not Considering Looser Regulations on Nicotine Pouches

Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel says she is not considering loosening the rules that restrict nicotine pouch sales to behind the pharmacy counter, despite tobacco-industry lobbying to allow retail sales and a growing illicit market among youth.

Sep 24, 2026 · 4 min read Read briefing
Aphis Marta, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) -- a can of ZYN nicotine pouches, the brand cited in the article as entering Canada's illicit market; not Zonnic, the only brand Health Canada has authorized for sale.
Practice Guidance

Pharmacist Graham MacKenzie Tackles Menopause Myths in His Latest Book

Pharmacist and author Graham MacKenzie's third book, Menopause Logic, reviews the evidence behind menopausal hormone therapy, non-hormonal options and the supplements marketed for menopause symptoms -- a resource pharmacists can point patients to amid ongoing hormone-therapy confusion.

Sep 24, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing
Book cover: Menopause Logic by Graham MacKenzie, via Canadian Healthcare Network.
Practice Guidance

Haleon, GlobalMedic and Shoppers Foundation Launch Women's Health Van Across the GTA

A new mobile 'Women's Health Van' from Haleon Canada, GlobalMedic and the Shoppers Foundation for Women's Health is bringing free health and hygiene products and health information directly to underserved women across the GTA through community organizations.

Sep 23, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing
Photo: Grocery Business Magazine, via Haleon Canada / GlobalMedic / Shoppers Foundation for Women's Health -- the actual Women's Health Van pictured open at a Toronto-area warehouse.
Drug Shortages

Hospital Pharmacy Collaboration Preserves Canadian Access to Pediatric Ciprofloxacin Suspension

Mohawk Medbuy reports that hospital pharmacy advocacy helped reverse a planned discontinuation of Canada’s only commercially available ciprofloxacin oral suspension. Continued access may reduce reliance on compounded alternatives or intravenous therapy for children who cannot swallow tablets.

Sep 22, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing
Photo: Towfiqu barbhuiya/Pexels — illustrative liquid-medication bottles, not the affected CIPRO product. Source: Image source · Pexels licence: Image source

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