National

B.C. enacts regulation to ensure protection of Ozempic supply for diabetes patients

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Apr, 2023 12:18 PM

The B-C government is taking immediate action to ensure diabetes patients have access to the drug Ozempic, which is highly effective at controlling blood sugar levels but has been overwhelmed by celebrity interest in its potent weight loss side-effects.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the ministry is enacting a new regulation to protect not only the supply of Ozempic in B-C, but other drugs that may need the same protection in future.

The new regulation means only B-C residents, other Canadian citizens or permanent residents can buy Ozempic at provincial pharmacies – either in person or online.

The changes come after the discovery that 15 per cent of Ozempic prescriptions in the province were being filled by two Vancouver pharmacies for shipment to the United States.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

17 year old man stabbed on a bus in Surrey dies

Police say it happened just before 9:30 Tuesday night. Investigators say the victim and his attacker had some sort of altercation while on the bus, not far from the King George SkyTrain station.

17 year old man stabbed on a bus in Surrey dies

Canadians feel less safe than pre-pandemic: poll

Those in B.C. were most likely to say crime and violence are worse since the pandemic hit, at 72 per cent, while people in Quebec were least likely to say so, at 54 per cent. Quebecers were most likely to say things have not changed.

Canadians feel less safe than pre-pandemic: poll

Federal workers vote in favour of strike mandate

The Public Service Alliance of Canada can now launch a strike anytime in the next 60 days — with national president Chris Aylward saying workers were prepared to strike as soon as Wednesday. Aylward said at a press conference Wednesday morning that bargaining for fair wages is top of mind, and members are prepared to strike for as long as it takes.

Federal workers vote in favour of strike mandate

Ozempic loophole may trap other drugs: pharmacists

Canadian Pharmacists Association vice-president of public affairs Joelle Walker said Americans buying cheaper Canadian drugs is nothing new. One of the main challenges, Walker said, is that there isn't a strong sense of the prevalence of mass U.S. buying of Canadian prescription drugs because the data isn't available.

Ozempic loophole may trap other drugs: pharmacists

Class-action lawsuit filed in fatal Vancouver fire

The owner of the 110-year-old building and its non-profit manager had failed to ensure fire safety measures were adequate and up-to-date, the lawsuit says, and the city did not enforce safety regulations to the same standards it did elsewhere.

Class-action lawsuit filed in fatal Vancouver fire

Charities struggle with burnout, funding: report

The report found 57 per cent of respondents said they could not keep up with increasing need for help, 40 per cent reported higher levels of demand than before the pandemic and 22 per cent said demand “significantly exceeds” capacity.