The phone call came on a Monday morning. Sarah Winters, a pharmacist in Victoria, had just opened her small community drugstore when Health Canada’s urgent alert lit up her screen. “I remember thinking, ‘Not another one,'” she told me last week as we sat in her office, surrounded by meticulously organized medication records.
What Sarah faced that morning was the latest in a concerning pattern: a nationwide recall of pregabalin, an anti-seizure and nerve pain medication that thousands of Canadians rely on daily. Quebec-based manufacturer JAMP Pharma had just issued an urgent recall for specific lots of their 300 mg pregabalin capsules due to a potentially dangerous packaging error.
Some bottles labeled as containing 300 mg pregabalin might actually contain 150 mg capsules – an error that could lead to serious health consequences for patients. For those living with epilepsy or chronic neuropathic pain, this medication isn’t optional; it’s essential.
“When recalls happen, we’re the front line,” Sarah explained, gesturing toward her pharmacy counter where three staff members were already fielding calls from concerned patients. “People panic. And honestly, they have every right to.”
The April 2024 recall affects lot CP3933, with expiration date 05/2025. Health Canada classified it as Type I – their most serious category, indicating a reasonable probability that using the affected product could lead to serious adverse health consequences or death.
Walking through Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside the day after the announcement, I spoke with Dr. Michael Chen, who operates a clinic serving vulnerable populations. “For patients with seizure disorders, suddenly receiving half their prescribed dose could trigger breakthrough seizures,” he explained. “The consequences could be life-threatening, especially for those with poorly controlled epilepsy.”
The timing of this recall is particularly troubling as it follows several other high-profile medication safety issues in recent years. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, medication errors affect hundreds of thousands of Canadians annually, with packaging and labeling issues being significant contributors.
For Indigenous communities in northern British Columbia, where access to healthcare is already limited, such recalls create additional layers of concern. Emma Wilson, a community health representative from Haida Gwaii, described the challenges: “When medications are recalled, it’s not as simple as walking down the street to another pharmacy. We’re talking about airplane trips in some cases, or waiting days for shipments.”
During my visit to her community health center last month, Emma was already developing contingency plans for medication shortages and recalls. “We’ve learned from experience that we need to be proactive,” she said. The pregabalin recall has now put those plans into action.
JAMP Pharma, which manufactures the affected medication, has instructed wholesalers, distributors, and retailers to immediately stop distribution of the affected lot. Patients have been advised not to stop taking their medication without consulting a healthcare provider first, as abruptly discontinuing pregabalin can trigger withdrawal symptoms or seizures.
The company has established a response line for concerned patients and healthcare providers, though several pharmacists I spoke with expressed frustration about wait times and inconsistent information.
Dr. Andrea Morrison, a pharmaceutical safety researcher at the University of British Columbia, contextualizes this recall within broader concerns about Canada’s drug supply chain. “Our medication system has become increasingly globalized, with components sourced from multiple countries,” she explained during our interview in her campus office. “While this creates efficiencies, it also introduces vulnerability points where errors can occur.”
Health Canada requires pharmaceutical companies to report adverse drug reactions and medication incidents, but many experts believe the current system captures only a fraction of actual events. A 2022 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal estimated that for every reported medication incident, between 10 and 20 go undocumented.
