Prescription restrictions relaxed in Nova Scotia

The rules around prescription medications have been relaxed in Nova Scotia.

On March 18th, the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists restricted all prescriptions to a 30-day supply. 

Now, that has been lifted on medications where supply is not an issue, however, any drugs that still have a supply issue will remain under the 30-day limit.

Beverley Zwicker is the CEO of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists and says it’s difficult to know exactly what drugs will still be impacted by this, though she did single out inhalers as something that was in short supply.

“The inhalers are short, and will remain in short supply for the near future,” she says.

Her advice to people living in Nova Scotia is to check with your pharmacist about medication availability.

“They’ll be able to tell you whether your medication now has sufficient inventory that it can now be dispensed in a larger quantity,” says Zwicker.

She also says the restriction was a success because they’ve been able to replenish the supply of medications in the province.

But she also warns this doesn’t mean the issue is behind us, as the college expects manufacturing disruptions in China and India due to COVID-19.