Need special formula for your infant? You now have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter
Global News
Parents in Canada who need specialized formula for their babies now have to order formula through a pharmacy due to ongoing nationwide shortages of product.
Most parents in Canada who need specialized formula to feed their babies now have to order formula through a pharmacy due to a voluntary directive by Health Canada aimed at rationing limited supplies amid a nationwide shortage.
In June, Health Canada issued national recommendations suggesting hypoallergenic baby formula be dispensed by pharmacists “to ensure they can be distributed equally,” according to a statement from Health Canada provided to Global News.
Since then, this practice has been adopted across the country as the availability of certain types of specialized formulas continues to be limited, Health Canada says.
“The recommendation to order hypoallergenic infant formula at the pharmacy counter was implemented to effectively manage the limited supply and ensure that those infants who need it will receive it,” said Andre Gagnon, a spokesperson for Health Canada.
“This measure allows Health Canada and its provincial and territorial counterparts to have a detailed understanding of the national supply and to quickly adjust allocation if an urgent need is identified.”
Regular formula remains widely available in Canada and does not require special access over the counter at pharmacies, Health Canada added.
The specialized formula shortage was triggered by the February shutdown of Abbott Nutrition, a key infant formula manufacturing plant in Michigan, which was closed due to a massive recall of some of its products.
Most of the baby formula available in Canada comes from the United States. Abbott Nutrition makes the popular Similac and Alimentum formula brands.
Bird flu has spread far and wide, infecting a range of species like chickens, skunks, cows, foxes and polar bears. But it's the pigs that have experts on high alert.
The CFIA has recalled E. coli-tainted carrots, following a U.S. health warning about the contaminated produce linked to one death and dozens of illnesses.
Health Canada said there was an issue with the braking system of the Stokke YOYO baby stroller, sold between August and October this year.
These editorial stories and interviews will focus on the people, companies, research, and innovations leading the environmental and sustainable movement in B.C.
Bennett had just returned from the school run last week when she found the mom and a baby raccoon unconscious, with one of the babies sleeping on the furniture.
B.C. health authorities have announced the first case of a human avian flu infection acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient in critical condition in hospital.
People have been hearing a lot about H5N1 bird flu — or highly pathogenic avian influenza — since a B.C. teen became the first human to get the virus in Canada and is in hospital.
The Liberal government and the NDP negotiated the substance of a pharmacare bill as part of their now-defunct supply-and-confidence agreement.
Kennedy ran as an independent presidential candidate but gave Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the next Trump administration.
Emergency services are at the scene of a train derailment Thursday morning on Montreal's south shore, where they are urging citizens to stay away from the area.
"I was yelling at them saying get the F** away it’s a wild animal," resident Josh Merrin told Global News. "Sorry about my language."