Trending News Today: Mylan EpiPen Shortages Seen in Canada, UK

Mylan’s emergency allergy antidote, EpiPen, is in short supply in Canada and Britain but remains available in the United States, Reuters reported. According to the article, Pfizer Canada announced that it was experiencing supply constraints for EpiPens due to delays at the manufacturing facility, as well as problems in sourcing a component for the device from an outside supplier. Federal health officials said that there are currently no alternatives on the market in Canada, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to give a speech on lowering prescription drug prices on April 26, The Hill reported. However, the White House has indicated that no new policy proposals will be unveiled at the speech other than a request for information on various drug pricing ideas, according to the article. Both Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said last month that the administration would soon be rolling out new drug pricing proposals, the article noted.

An online Canadian pharmacy was fined $34 million Friday for importing counterfeit cancer drugs and other unapproved pharmaceuticals into the United States, ABC News reported. According to the article, US prosecutors say Canada Drugs’ business model is based entirely on illegally importing unapproved and misbranded drugs from all over the world, and that the company has made at least $78 million through illegal imports. Two of these imports included counterfeit versions of the cancer drugs Avastin and Altuzan, ABC News reported.