Shortage of Nitroglycerin Sprays in Canada

March 17, 2023

May 10, 2023

Health Canada has updated its existing public advisory to include information on the shortage of nitroglycerin tablets. Read the update below for more information.

Shortage of Nitroglycerin Sprays and Tablets in Canada – Canada.ca.

March 17, 2023

We are notifying our community of a national shortage of Nitroglycerin spray. Health Canada is managing the issue and has asked us to relay a Public Advisory to keep you informed. You can access it here: Shortage of Nitroglycerin Sprays in Canada – Canada.ca.

Health Canada is also communicating with other impacted organizations and professionals, including hospital and community pharmacists. Health Canada will provide updates on this issue, and we will post updates here.

If you have any questions, please refer to the Public Advisory.
We’ve developed a Guidance Tool for the community. It provides practical tips to help manage this situation at the community pharmacy level. It may also help liaise with request from pharmacists notifying members of the shortage and seeking guidance for alternatives. You can find it here: Guidance Tool: Shortage of Nitroglycerin Sprays in Canada.

As you assess the implications of this situation on your patients, this may be an opportunity to review strategies to avoid/manage chest pain, review the use of short acting NTG, including its role in pain relief and review scenarios that require emergency care. Also consider other possible anti-anginals such as beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, NTG long-acting tabs/patch or ranolazine.

In addition to the message contained in the Public Advisory, it will be important to remind those patients who use Nitroglycerin to continue to follow its application and use. If patients have any questions about their individual symptom management, they should contact their health care provider.

Please note our colleagues at Heart & Stroke are aware and are issuing a statement and referencing the Health Canada Public Advisory.