The pharmacy briefing

News & insight.

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

Province

18 results

Saskatchewan Expands Pharmacist-Led Strep Throat and Ear Infection Care to Over 100 Pharmacies

The Government of Saskatchewan has accepted all 55 pharmacies that applied to join its strep throat and ear infection assessment program, pushing the pharmacist-led service past 100 locations and building on a pilot that has delivered over 11,000 services since January 2025.

Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Illustrative photo: an otoscope ear examination (not from Saskatchewan). U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Toon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otoscope_exam.JPG)

Practice Guidance

Yukon Pharmacists Shoulder a Growing Share of the Territory's Primary Care

With a family-doctor shortage and long wait times, Yukon pharmacists say they're absorbing more day-to-day primary care -- and the territory's health minister says a further scope expansion is "actively" being considered.

Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Original editorial illustration created for this article.

Practice Guidance

PEI Hospital Pharmacy Technicians Frustrated by Year-Long Wait for Promised Wage Increase

PEI hospital pharmacy technicians say they are still waiting, nearly a year after a wage increase was promised, and about one in six technician positions is currently vacant -- a number the union expects to grow.

Sep 14, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing

Original editorial illustration created for this article.

Practice Guidance

Quebec Pharmacists Gain Major New Prescribing and Renewal Powers, Effective December 9

The Ordre des pharmaciens du Quebec says pharmacists will soon be able to test for strep throat, adjust a patient's medication for an adverse reaction, and renew chronic-disease prescriptions without the previous limits, effective December 9, 2026.

Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Original editorial illustration created for this article.

Practice Guidance

Manitoba Pharmacists Can Now Prescribe and Administer Birth Control

The Manitoba government has expanded pharmacists' scope of practice to let trained pharmacists assess for, prescribe and administer eligible birth control -- including injectable contraceptives -- building on free coverage that began in 2024.

Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Illustration: BruceBlaus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birth_Control_Pills.png)

Medication Safety

Vitalité Shifts New Brunswick Dialysis Patients' Medication Pickup to Community Pharmacies

Vitalité Health Network has ended direct dispensing of dialysis-related medications at its Miramichi clinic, shifting roughly 550 patients to community pharmacies -- a change the network frames as a medication-safety improvement, but that has patients worried about new out-of-pocket costs.

Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Original editorial illustration created for this article.

Medication Safety

BC PharmaCare Flags Adhesion Problems With Menopausal Hormone Therapy Patches

BC's Ministry of Health says it is investigating reports that menopausal hormone therapy patches -- covered free under PharmaCare since March -- aren't sticking properly, and is giving pharmacists specific guidance on how to handle a loose patch and document a replacement.

Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Illustrative: a US-labelled estradiol transdermal patch product, not the Canadian product referenced in the BC notice. Photo: Erica-Schroeder, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandoz_Estradiol_Transdermal_System,_estrogen_patch.jpg)

Practice Guidance

Newfoundland Hospital Pharmacists Warn Staffing Crisis Is Straining Patient Care

Pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador's public hospital system say vacancy rates near 20% province-wide -- and far higher in some rural sites -- are compromising patient care, with a union representing them demanding immediate wage adjustments rather than a multi-year fix.

Sep 14, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing

Original editorial illustration created for this article.

Medication Safety

U of T-Led BMJ Study Identifies 24 Prescribing Cascades Putting Older Adults at Risk

A BMJ study of 2.3 million Ontario seniors, led by University of Toronto and Sinai Health researchers, pinpoints 24 common "prescribing cascades" where one drug's side effect triggers an unneeded second prescription -- and calls for pharmacists to be more directly built into catching them.

Sep 13, 2026 · 4 min read Read briefing

Image: University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine (press photo of Prof. Paula Rochon; temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/news/ontario-study-identifies-potentially-harmful-drug-combinations-prescribed-older-adults)

Drug Shortages

Dr. Reddy's Semaglutide Shortage Drags On as Generic Ozempic Struggles to Reach Pharmacies

An unresolved Health Canada-reported manufacturing shortage for Dr. Reddy's generic semaglutide, plus modest first-half sales for both approved generics, is leaving many Canadian pharmacies unable to stock a cheaper alternative to Ozempic -- even though the brand-name drug itself remains fully available.

Sep 13, 2026 · 5 min read Read briefing

Illustrative photo: an Ozempic (semaglutide) injection pen sold in China; Canadian packaging differs. Photo: HualinXMN, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ozempic®_3ml.jpg)

Practice Guidance

CPhA Highlights Canada's Role at the 84th FIP World Congress in Montréal

The Canadian Pharmacists Association reported on September 9 that Canadian pharmacy leaders played a prominent role at the 84th FIP World Congress, held in Montréal for the first time since 1997, including a session on CPhA's new National Benchmark for Pharmacy Practice. The congress drew a record 3,455 delegates from 116 countries and signals growing international attention to Canada's expanding pharmacist scope of practice.

Sep 12, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Photo: congresmtl.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palais_des_congrès_de_Montréal_et_sa_façade_colorée_signée_Mario_Saia.jpg)

Practice Guidance

N.W.T. Drafts Regulations to Expand Pharmacist Prescribing and Vaccination Authority

The Northwest Territories is drafting new pharmacy regulations that would let pharmacists prescribe for conditions like UTIs and migraines and administer most routine vaccines, according to the territory's pharmacy association president.

Sep 12, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Illustrative file photo (a pharmacist administering a vaccine, not from N.W.T.): USDA photo by Lance Cheung, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:COVID-19_Vaccination_(20210318-OC-LSC-0003).jpg)

Practice Guidance

Alberta College of Pharmacy: Confirm a Provider’s Authority Before Selling Schedule 1 Drugs for Office Use

After the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta reported a man allegedly presenting himself as a physician in Edmonton without a practice permit since 2015, the Alberta College of Pharmacy reminded pharmacy teams on September 8, 2026 that Schedule 1 drugs for office use may only be sold once the provider’s authority to possess them is confirmed. The reminder applies to every community pharmacy that supplies clinic stock.

Sep 10, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing

Illustrative pharmacy dispensing; not a pharmacy or person involved. M Joko Apriyo Putro / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Image source

Practice Guidance

NDSAC to Consider Schedule II Status for Epinephrine Nasal Spray at Its September 20 Meeting

NAPRA’s National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee meets on September 20, 2026 to consider a request for Schedule II status for pre-filled epinephrine nasal spray devices used in anaphylaxis. If adopted by the provinces, community pharmacies would supply the device from behind the counter without a prescription.

Sep 10, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Illustrative nasal spray use; not the product under review. NIAID / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Image source

Practice Guidance

CIHI Plans September Health Data Standard Update to Support Connected Care

CIHI has outlined a September 29 update to its national data framework. Pharmacy teams can use the announcement to review information gaps during care transitions.

Sep 9, 2026 · 1 min read Read briefing

AI-generated editorial illustration for Pharmasist.ca. Conceptual connected care; not an actual system architecture or implemented connection.

Practice Guidance

NACI’s 2026–27 Influenza Guidance: Preparing Pharmacy Teams for Fall

NACI’s seasonal guidance informs fall vaccination planning. Pharmacy teams should check age-appropriate products, priority groups and local program availability.

Sep 9, 2026 · 1 min read Read briefing

AI-generated editorial illustration for Pharmasist.ca. An illustrative vaccination room, not an actual clinic or vaccine product.

Practice Guidance

Ontario Pharmacists Gain Nine New Minor Ailments, Technicians Gain Expanded Vaccine Authority, Effective July 1

As of July 1, 2026, Ontario pharmacists and interns can assess and prescribe for nine additional minor ailments and administer six more publicly funded vaccines, while pharmacy technicians can now administer all Schedule 3 vaccines under supervision. The Ontario College of Pharmacists has set out what changed and what training and consent steps pharmacies need in place.

Jul 1, 2026 · 2 min read Read briefing

Illustrative pharmacy photo. National Cancer Institute / Unsplash. Image source

Medication Safety

ISMP Canada Bulletin: Near-Miss Oral Ingestion of a Boric Acid Vaginal Suppository Prompts Packaging Changes

A consumer nearly swallowed a boric acid vaginal suppository after mistaking the oral-look capsule for a vitamin, prompting ISMP Canada and manufacturer Szio+ Inc. to add explicit vaginal-use warnings to the Utiva Yeast Control packaging. Pharmacists selling this and similar non-prescription boric acid products need to counsel proactively, since these are self-selected products often sold without a pharmacist consult.

Feb 26, 2026 · 3 min read Read briefing

Illustrative medication packaging; not the product discussed. Brett Jordan / Unsplash. Image source