Children’s acetaminophen is now ready to be sold in Alberta.. UCP leader Danielle SmithAlberta Premier Danielle Smith. .On Monday, Alberta Premier Danielle said she heard "gut-wrenching stories from frustrated parents" who can’t access children’s pain and fever medication for their young ones.."I’ve read letters from parents, overwhelmed trying to care for their children with fevers and coughs — trying to prevent symptoms from getting worse and desperate for them to be able to sleep through the night," Smith said.."Parents across the province know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night to their children coughing and how helpless they feel being unable to provide them with relief.".In January, Alberta’s first shipment of children’s liquid acetaminophen arrived via airplane and was distributed to hospitals across the province. However, it wasn't made available for sale. Now it is.."I’ve heard stories of parents asking friends travelling to the United States and Mexico to pick them up a few bottles of pain and fever medicine to ensure they’re prepared for these scenarios," Smith said.."We know parents would do absolutely anything to help treat their sick kids and I want Albertans to know that I will too.".READ MORE: First shipment of children’s medication arrives in Alberta.Smith noted in December 2022, in response to the national shortage of children’s pain and fever medication, the UCP government began taking steps to address the shortage of these medications in our province.."Not only has this shortage been extremely stressful for families, but anxious parents saw that their only option was to take their children to the hospital — contributing to long wait times and placing another pressure on our healthcare system," Smith said.."Over the past few months, Alberta’s government and Alberta Health Services worked with Atabay Pharmaceuticals to secure children’s pain and fever medication and make it available to every family across the province.".In order to receive Health Canada approval, the manufacturer was required to submit a proposal outlining information on the medicine’s quality, safety, and product packaging..Health Canada reviewed the proposal and requested additional information as well as a number of changes to meet Canada’s regulatory requirements. One of the changes was the need to add child-resistant caps to the bottles for the retail use supply..In the interim, an initial shipment was approved for hospital use only, as child-resistant caps are not a regulatory requirement when medicine is administered by medical professionals in a hospital..Smith said it’s been a painstaking, rigorous process, and it’s taken longer than the government hoped for. "I am pleased to announce the wait is over. Help is now here," Smith said.."Children’s acetaminophen is now available for distribution to local pharmacies. We hope this brings a much-needed peace of mind to parents everywhere. And parents can feel confident we have secured a stable supply of this medication for years to come, ensuring that Alberta isn’t as susceptible to global supply chain disruptions in the future."."I truly hope that this supply will provide a little bit more comfort and relief to you and your families," Smith said..Alberta Minister of Health Jason Copping said the children’s acetaminophen will cost around $14 and a total of 750,000 bottles are being made for sale at this time with a shelf life of two years.."There'll be 1.5 million bottles for Alberta, the rest of the order, we are in conversations now with other provinces to see what they need," Copping said.."We have a supply now and we have a supply now for a couple of years."
