Wash your hands often. Wear a mask or face covering at all times, unless you are at home with housemates or outdoors at a guaranteed two metres’ distance from others. Stay away from crowded places. Celebrate or gather only with members of your household. Don’t invite others into your home. Prepare for contact tracing if...
Tag: Canada
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FIBRISTAL (ulipristal acetate) Withdrawal in Canada due to Risk of Liver Injury
Allergan Inc. has decided to withdraw the drug Fibristal (ulipristal acetate), used to treat uterine fibroids, from the Canadian market. Allergan made this decision in response to a number of international cases of serious liver injury requiring liver transplantation. HMC
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Recall of certain hand sanitizers that contain technical-grade ethanol
Health Canada is advising Canadians that certain lots of the following hand sanitizer are being recalled from the market because they contain ethanol or denaturants that are not acceptable for use in hand sanitizers in Canada. Product Unacceptable Ingredient Recalling Company NPN or DIN Lot numbers Expiry Date Date Added Clean & Green Hand Sanitizer...
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Protect yourself and your family from poisonings: always read and follow the label directions when using hand sanitizers, disinfectants, household cleaning products and bleaches
Health Canada is warning Canadians about the risks of improperly using hand sanitizers, disinfectants, household cleaning products and bleaches, and reminding them to always read and follow the directions on product labels. Product labels for authorized hand sanitizers will display either a Natural Product Number (NPN) or Drug Identification Number (DIN). HMC
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Shortage of salbutamol inhalers in Canada
Increased demand for salbutamol inhalers due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to reported shortages and limited supply of this product in Canada. Health Canada is taking steps to mitigate the impact of the shortages and is providing advice to Canadians on how to conserve supply. HMC
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Online COVID-19 Test Results
Ontario has launched a new user friendly online portal (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/) for the public to easily access their COVID-19 lab test results. HMC
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Homemade hand sanitizers may present health risks
Health Canada is warning Canadians about the potential health risks of making and using homemade hand sanitizers, as homemade recipes and products are becoming increasingly common online. If you have made or used homemade hand sanitizer products, stop using them as the concentration of alcohol in many of these recipes may not be high enough...
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Stockpiling drugs can lead to local shortages: Canadians urged not to buy more medication than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic
Health Canada understands the stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and recognizes that Canadians may be concerned about not being able to get medications they rely on for themselves and their loved ones. While the Government of Canada recommends that Canadians refill their prescriptions now so that they do not have to go to a...
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Health products that make false or misleading claims to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19 may put your health at risk
Health Canada has received reports about health products that make false or misleading claims related to COVID-19 and is taking action to address them. Health Canada has issued letters to multiple companies directing them to immediately remove these claims from their websites and advertising materials. These reports include a wide range of products that have...
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COVID-19
The first two cases in Peel Region were tested positive on March 4th who were a couple aboard Grand Princess Cruise Ship from February 11- 21 out of San Fransisco. Both are recovering at home in self-isolation. The risk to the public remains low. There is no evidence that COVID-19 is circulating in the community....
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Certain Metformin diabetes drugs recalled due to the presence of NDMA
Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. is recalling six lots of its prescription RAN-Metformin drug from the Canadian market. Company testing identified two lots (#AJY8006A and #AJY8007A) with levels of NDMA above what is considered acceptable if the drug were to be taken over a lifetime. The company is recalling an additional four lots (#AJY8005A, #AJY8005B, #AJY8008A...
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Update on 2019-nCoV
Canada has had 4 and Ontario 3 confirmed cases as of Feb 3, 2020. This are 29 cases under investigation in Ontario. There were no cases in Peel Region. Worldwide, 17485 confirmed cases and 362 deaths have been reported to date. Airborne droplet and contact precautions are highly recommended. If you have respiratory symptoms and...
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Preliminary determination of a novel coronavirus identified in Wuhan, China
On December 31, 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported associated with a live seafood market in Wuhan, China. Some cases were critically ill. To date, there are no suspected cases in Canada. Cases presented with high fever, difficulty breathing, and bilateral lung infiltrates on chest radiograph. There have been no reports of spread...
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Health Canada warns Canadians about U-Dream herbal sleep-aid products after tests detect a substance similar to a prescription insomnia drug, which may pose serious health risks.
Health Canada is advising Canadians that it has tested several U-Dream Lite and U-Dream Full Night herbal sleep-aid products and has found that they contain a substance similar to the prescription drug zopiclone, which may pose serious health risks. The Department has suspended all of the company’s U-Dream and U-Dreams product licences, which means it...
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Caution when taking Gabapentin or Pregabalin with Opioids
Health Canada is advising Canadians about the increased risk of opioid overdose and serious side effects when taking gabapentin (e.g., Neurontin) or pregabalin (e.g., Lyrica) with an opioid. HMC
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Some EpiPen and EpiPen Jr auto-injectors may be difficult to remove from their carrier tubes.
Pfizer Canada has advised Health Canada that, in a very small number of cases, some EpiPen (0.3 mg) and EpiPen Jr (0.15 mg) auto-injector devices may not slide out of their carrier tube easily, or at all. Although the chance of this occurring is very rare, failure to administer epinephrine as soon as possible during an...
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Health Canada assessing NDMA in ranitidine
Health Canada is informing Canadians that it is aware that the impurity N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) has been detected in some ranitidine drugs. Health Canada is closely assessing the issue in collaboration with other regulators internationally, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. The Department will take action as needed, and will keep...
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Screen for Colon Cancer !
Colorectal Cancer Canada(CCC) states Colorectal Cancer (CRC) deaths are continuing to decline in Canada. This is likely due to improvements in treatment and diagnosis. The decline in CRC death rates are consistent with a relatively large contribution from screening and with a smaller impact of risk factor reductions. CRC develops from precancerous polyps. Screening tests...
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Health products manufactured by Professional Botanicals Inc. may pose serious health risks
Health Canada is warning that all products manufactured by Professional Botanicals Inc. may pose serious health risks. The company is a contract manufacturer that also operates under the name Healthy Botanicals Inc. HMC
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Health Canada concludes that there are no new safety concerns with sunscreen products
Through its safety review, Health Canada has concluded that there are no new safety concerns with any sunscreen products. However, the Department found that, on rare occasions, mild to moderate skin reactions may develop in individuals who have an allergy or sensitivity to one or more ingredients in sunscreen products. HMC