Half of Alberta Turkish - made children pain medication destroyed

edmontonexaminer.com · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Skip to Content News Local News Canada Provincial World Special-Sections Vitality Alberta Work Well Olympics Sports Local Sports Baseball Basketball Curling Soccer Football Hockey Other Sports Entertainment Local Entertainment Movies Music Television Books Gaming Celebrities Life Travel Food Health Puzzles Comics Advice Opinion Column Editorial Letters All Newspapers Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Obituaries Lives Told Business Ads Jobs Driving Healthing Puzzmo Diversions Puzzles Comics Newsletters Profile Settings My Subscriptions Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Vitality Alberta Olympics Sports Entertainment Life Opinion All Newspapers Business Ads Jobs Driving Healthing Puzzmo Newsletters Local NewsPoliticsHalf of Alberta's Turkish-made children's pain medication destroyedLooming expiration dates prompted the disposal of 700,000 bottles of the medication before it could be donated.Published Feb 19, 2026 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 2 minute readA bottle of Turkish-made children's pain medication Parol as seen on Monday, March 20, 2023 in Edmonton. Greg Southam-Postmedia Photo by Greg Southam /PostmediaAround half of the surplus Turkish-made children’s pain medication imported by the Alberta government in 2023 has been destroyed due to looming expiring dates, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS).Last June, AHS reached a deal with Montreal-based Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) to donate 1.4 million bottles of acetaminophen and ibuprofen to eight countries, including war-torn Ukraine.Recommended VideosOn Thursday, AHS stated only half of those 700,000 bottles was eventually donated, while the other half was disposed of.“Since the preliminary shipments were delivered, HPIC identified challenges to donate the remaining half of the medication, with the main constraints being the expiry date of the medicine for early 2026, and logistical challenges getting the medicine to countries in need,” a spokesperson for AHS stated, adding it had exhausted all avenues to donate the remaining medicine.“We did not come to this conclusion lightly. We are thankful to HPIC for their support in donating a large portion of the medication to those in need.”Costs to store the surplus medication since 2023 sat at $457,000 as of last November. Postmedia has sought an updated figure from AHS as well as for any costs associated with disposing the remaining medication.The bottles were among those imported under exceptional circumstances amid a Canada-wide shortage as part of a $70-million deal with Turkish manufacturer Atabay and Edmonton-based importer MHCare.As of last year, $49 million of that contract remains unfulfilled.The last of the supply was set to expire in March, according to documents reviewed by Postmedia.Those records also show the medication took longer than the province expected to arrive, and only a fraction of the five million bottles ordered ever made it to Alberta, much of which came after the shortage had ended.The imported acetaminophen was of a different concentration than typical North American products and was only sold behind the counter due to the risk of accidental overdoses.The acetaminophen was used in hospitals for six months before AHS ordered a switch back to medication with a more familiar dosage and due to fears of choking due to its thicker consistency.The deal has prompted investigations by the province’s auditor general as well as the RCMP.Both MHCare and the province have defended the quality of the imported medication.mblack@postmedia.com Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.