COVID-19’s Limited Impact on Drug Shortages in Canada

Using data from the Drug Shortages Canada website, we ask whether the first months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic were associated with a significant increase in drug shortages in Canada. We find an increase of 147 shortages (32 percent) reported by manufacturers during March and April 2020 relative to the same months in previous years. The upsurge was concentrated during the two-week period from 25 March to 7 April 2020, after which report counts returned to usual levels. Excess reports cite both supply-side and demand-side causes for shortages. Increases were noted in therapeutic classes associated with COVID-19 care.