Alberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the government was aiming to get taxpayer value for the money it spent on Turkish children’s medication that was not approved and delivered. The Canadian Press reported Smith announced the plan two years ago when Canada was experiencing a shortage of children’s pain medication. The Alberta government spent $70 million to import five million bottles of children’s pain medication from Turkish pharmaceutical company Atabay Pharmaceuticals. However, Alberta Health Services (AHS) noted Health Canada approved 1.5 million bottles or $21 million worth of them. This means 3.5 million bottles or $49 million worth of them remains missing. Smith said Health Canada is holding up the bottles, as it would have to approve a new collection of imports for the Alberta government to get its money’s worth. “We’re waiting for Health Canada to work with AHS to identify the products, get the formulations, approve it, so that we're able to execute on it,” said Smith to The Canadian Press.“Those things take time.”With this deal, she said the Alberta government had to pay the $70 million upfront. “They delivered a portion, and then the supply chains were restored, and we didn't need to fulfil it with the two products we'd initially ordered,” she said.“So we have a credit on file with Atabay.”The Alberta government and AHS would not say what particular products they were seeking or when they might arrive. “We want it to be delivered soon,” she said. Health Canada declined to comment on submissions until they are posted to the public lists of those under review. AHS said the $70 million pre-payment was directed to Canadian medical supplier MHCare Medical. Meanwhile, it did not answer questions about the commonness of the Alberta government paying the entire contracting fee upfront with no protections to ensure it was completed all the way. Although the costs of shipping, waste disposal, and administration was estimated to cost about $10 million, it had not been finalized. Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi responded by saying the government signed a deal that did not follow normal procurement practices, and it ended up backfiring. “The federal government had already signed a deal to get real Tylenol onto the shelves that arrived before the Turkish Tylenol,” said Nenshi to The Canadian Press. “Albertans should be really angry, because we basically have given $80 million of taxpayers money that could have built schools.”Although issues have popped up, the Alberta government has stood by buying this medication. This is because parents were desperate to find relief for their children when respiratory virus cases skyrocketed in them in late 2022.In this case, the purchase has been filled with challenges. Right away, it encountered delays, as the Alberta government requested regulatory approvals and had to figure out packaging and warning labels. To ensure customers who bought it were aware of the lower dosage, pharmacists had to put some of it behind their counters. Because of safety concerns, hospital neonatal units stopped using it. The purchase raised questions about Alberta’s relaxed ethics rules. Multiple Alberta cabinet ministers have admitted to accepting tickets from MHCare Medical to Edmonton Oilers games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the cabinet ministers’ appearances raised ethical questions, they insisted they followed conflict of interest rules and denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said AHS has identified what imported adult medications it could use, has been speaking with Atabay, and is working to obtain approval from Health Canada. “Once those processes have been gone through, I will be happy to share exactly what those medications are,” said LaGrange. “My goal has always been to get products that we can use, get maximum value out of what's remaining on the books there, and that's what's happening.”Smith announced in 2022 to combat the shortage of children’s pain and fever medicine, Alberta has secured five million bottles of children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen for families..Alberta's government secures large supply of children’s pain relief medication, 5 million bottles.The Alberta government said for two months, parents and caregivers across Canada had faced a shortage of children’s pain and fever medication. This shortage placed additional stress on families and the healthcare system, as more Albertans were visiting pharmacies, physicians, and hospitals.To ensure children’s pain and fever medication is available across Alberta and bring relief to children and families, the government and AHS had secured a supply of five million units of acetaminophen and ibuprofen from Atabay and Fine Chemicals.
