Nitroglycerin spray helps Canadians with heart conditions, but the medication is in short supply
Global News
Nitroglycerin spray is in short supply across the country due to supply issues with raw materials used to make it as well as an increase in demand.
A spray used to help Canadians suffering from angina, a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart, is in short supply and may dry up in the near future, according to experts.
Health Canada on Friday released a statement warning that nitroglycerin spray is in short supply across the country due to supply issues with raw materials used to make it as well as an increase in demand.
The prescription medication is used to treat pain during an episode of angina for people who have coronary artery disease, Health Canada said.
“Nitroglycerin spray is an important and widely used product. Health Canada recognizes that this shortage is concerning for people who use it to treat pain from angina,” Health Canada told Global News in an email on Monday.
Availability of the medication is expected to be limited during the spring, the federal health regulator added.
Barry Power, editor-in-chief at the Canadian Pharmacist Association (CPhA), said nitroglycerin spray prescriptions are “fairly common” and a lot of patients carry it with them as a way to help treat chest pain on the spot. He added that there isn’t an equal substitute for the medication in wake of the shortage.
The closest substitute for the spray would be the nitroglycerin tablets, which were the standard product 20 to, 25 years ago, he said. But the tablets are also in short supply as they are not used as much.
“You pop the tablet under your tongue, and it dissolves and gets absorbed. So the spray works essentially the same way, but it’s a lot easier to administer, If you’re having chest pain, you have to open the teeny tiny little bottle that the tablets come in and it can be difficult to do,” Power said.
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