In an effort to address the children's medication shortage across the province, the Alberta Government has ordered 5 million bottles of the Turkish children's medication Parol, which is similar to Tylenol but at a lower dose.
A recent government press conference announced 750 000 of those bottles will be hitting pharmacy shelves, but we won't be seeing any of it in Strathmore. That isn't a bad thing though, as Strathmore Value Drug Mart owner Gordon Morck explained he didn't order any since their current stock of children's Tylenol isn't suffering from any shortages.
"(The medication shortage) was a problem for a while, but now it's getting better, so we have Tylenol on the shelves. We don't really need the Turkish medication, we've got a really good supply now," he said.
On top of the current supply being steady, Morck explained other factors also played into choosing not to order Parol. He said one bottle of Parol would cost him $16 before he even puts a selling price on it, while he can sell Tylenol for $12, so Parol would be significantly more expensive.
The dosage was another factor, as Parol's dose is 24 mg/ml oral suspension, while Canadian-authorized products comes in a concentration of 32 mg/ml and uses a different dosing device, according to an Alberta Blue Cross statement sent to pharmacists.
"The risk of under dosing or overdosing... because it's a lower dosage people would have to give a larger volume of the medication for the same dosage. And then if they get used to giving that amount to their child and then they get their traditional product, which is stronger, then they could overdose their child," he said.
Morck added overdosing on acetaminophen, which is the medication behind the brand name of Parol and Tylenol, could lead to potential health complications, such as liver damage.
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Fri, Apr 12, 4:30 PM
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