Supply Chain Events and Risk of Drug Shortage in Canada

What is the incidence of drug shortages following Canadian supply chain events, and what drug characteristics are associated with an increased risk of a drug shortage?In this matched cohort study, 972 unique drug inventories were exposed to 1919 supply chain events, and 9 of 10 supply chain disruptions did not experience an incident shortage (≥33% decrease). Drugs with baseline sales less than $100 000, anti-infective drugs, and over-the-counter drugs had significantly greater odds of experiencing an incident shortage.These findings suggest that a supply chain issue alone does not translate into a shortage in available drug supply, highlighting a need for a better system to identify true shortages that affect patients’ ability to access medications.

Corresponding Author: Araniy Santhireswaran, BSc, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College St, Toronto, ON M5S 3M2, Canada (araniy.santhireswaran@mail.utoronto.ca).

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