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Teva Canada Secures Salbutamol Inhalers from its Global Supply Chain to Mitigate Shortage in Canadian Market

May 19, 2020 Off By BusinessWire

Teva Canada to be first company to import emergency supply of salbutamol inhalers – providing access to critically needed medication for Canadian patients

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Teva Canada announced today it has secured an emergency supply of ^PrSalamol CFC-Free Inhaler – 100 microgram Pressurised Inhalation Suspension (Salbutamol Sulfate) 200 dose through its global supply chain (Teva UK Ltd.) to alleviate critical shortages in the Canadian market.

Teva Canada is the first company to import this product for Canadian patients under an Interim Order signed by the Minister of Health.¹ The order permits the exceptional importation and sale of drugs needed to prevent or alleviate the effects of shortages directly or indirectly related to COVID-19. Working closely with Health Canada and through the Interim Order, Teva Canada was able to expedite approval to import a supply of ^PrSalamol CFC-Free Inhaler to Canada.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has created increased use of respiratory products and, as a result, demand for salbutamol inhalers in Canada has tripled since January 2020. Most recently, Health Canada indicated this had resulted in reported shortages and limited supply.² In response to this increased demand, Teva Canada has imported a four-week supply (based on Teva Canada historical demand) of UK Labelled Product – ^PrSalamol CFC-Free Inhaler – 100 microgram Pressurised Inhalation Suspension (Salbutamol Sulfate), labelled under the brand IVAX Pharmaceuticals UK and will be assessing ongoing Canadian inventory and demand to determine if additional supply will need to be sourced.

“Salbutamol inhalers are a critical medication that patients are dependent on in order to breathe and we understand their fear about potential shortages,” says Christine Poulin, Teva Canada’s General Manager. “Our ability to reach out to Teva’s international supply chain and secure this critical medication for fellow Canadians, reinforces for us the value of being part of a global pharmaceutical company and hopefully provides peace of mind for patients during these uncertain times.”

As product demand has escalated during COVID-19, Teva’s global supply chain pivoted to secure additional API and scale production of salbutamol inhalers to maximum capacity. Locally, Teva Canada proactively managed existing supply to ensure uninterrupted availability across Canada while exploring Teva’s network to find partners with inventory capacity to share.

“We’re grateful to our in-house team that worked tirelessly to find a way to secure more medication for the patients that need it,” said David Boughner, Teva Canada’s Senior Director, Partnerships and Corporate Communications. “While the demand that continues to escalate for salbutamol inhalers due to COVID-19 could not have been anticipated, Teva Canada has demonstrated that at this unprecedented time we remain focused on meeting Canadian patients’ needs.”

^PrSalamol CFC-Free Inhaler

^PrSalamol CFC-Free Inhaler has similar indications to the Canadian marketed Teva-Salbutamol HFA, see the Risk Communication for details posted here:

Government of Canada – Important Safety Information – Importation of Teva UK-labelled Salamol CFC-Free (Salbutamol Sulfate) Inhaler due to Shortage

Teva Canada – Latest News from Teva Canada

Teva Canada’s COVID-19 Response

As a leading Canadian pharmaceutical company, Teva Canada provides essential medicines to millions of patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our priorities remain focused on the health and well-being of our employees and on our responsibility to continue to provide our medicines for the patients that fill more than 220,000³ Canadian prescriptions each day with our product. Video: We’ll Get Through This Together

For Teva’s global COVID-19 response: COVID-19 Updates and Resources

Sustainable Supply Chain

Teva has measures in place to ensure supply continuity and sustainability, together with the safe transportation of our medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Our supply chain remains largely uninterrupted and there is an adequate inventory of products across our network. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in some of the key markets we produce and sell in and are adapting our business continuity plans accordingly.

Industry Leadership

Our industry plays a critical role, particularly during such challenging times. Teva is working with governments to do all they can, in partnership with our industry, to maintain the development, production, supply and distribution of high quality medicines for patients worldwide during this unprecedented global health crisis.

About Teva Canada

Teva Canada, headquartered in Toronto, has provided affordable healthcare solutions to Canadians for over 50 years, building trust one prescription at a time with now more than 220,000³ prescriptions filled each day with our products. Originally Novopharm Limited, Teva Canada specializes in the development, production and marketing of high-quality generic prescription pharmaceuticals and through our branded division, focuses on a diverse line of innovative products in a variety of therapeutic areas. Teva Canada employs more than 1,000 professionals, had sales of nearly $1.3 billion³ in 2019 and markets more than 385 products in 1,000 SKUs³ in Canada. We are a proud subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Learn more at www.tevacanada.com.

About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve people’s lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.

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¹ Source: Government of Canada – Interim Order Respecting Drugs, Medical Devices and Foods for a Special Dietary Purpose in Relation to COVID-19 – March 30, 2020 | https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/compliance-enforcement/covid19-interim-order-drugs-medical-devices-special-foods.html – Accessed 05/14/2020

² Source: Government of Canada – Recalls and Safety Alerts – April 17, 2020 – Shortage of salbutamol inhalers in Canada | https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2020/72833a-eng.php – Accessed 05/14/2020

³ Source: IQVIA CDH & Compuscript MAT December 2019