SORCShortages | Canadian Drug Shortages

Version	Released	Snapshot through	Notes
Version 1.0	Aug 11, 2026	Aug 10, 2026	Initial public release

Interpretive Cautions

These are reported episodes, not a census of unmet patient need, patient harm, or local inventory status. A report does not confirm that every patient or facility experienced an interruption.
Reports are mandatory and intentionally over-inclusive. The regulatory system is designed to capture anticipated shortages early. A report does not confirm that a shortage occurred.
Ongoing episodes are right-censored at the snapshot date. Estimated end dates shown in source fields are not treated as observed resolution dates.
The pattern chart begins in March 2017, the start of the mandatory reporting era. Earlier records remain searchable, but the chart is not comparable to pre-reporting-era data.
SORCShortages is not affiliated with Health Canada or Health Product Shortages Canada.
This tool supports research and public understanding. It is not intended for clinical or operational decision-making.

Citation

How to Cite

Visualization Tool

Tung A. SORCShortages: A view of Canadian drug shortage and discontinuation reports [Internet]. Version 1.0. Edmonton: Systematic Outcomes Research Collaborative; 2026 Aug 11 [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: https://sorc.ca/sorcshortages.html

Source: Health Product Shortages Canada, Ottawa: Health Canada.

Methodology

Data and Episode Construction

Source. The current release includes the reports available in the latest dated source snapshot. The embedded dashboard displays the current report counts and snapshot date.

Episode construction. Each report is treated as one episode. Start date uses the actual start date when available, otherwise the anticipated start date. End date uses the observed end date when available. Active status is evaluated against the snapshot date. Anticipated reports with a future start date are not counted as active. Ongoing episodes are right-censored at the snapshot date. Estimated end dates are not used as observed ends.

Report types. Shortage and discontinuation are as classified in the source and are kept separate throughout. They are not combined in duration statistics or episode counts.

Tier 3. Reported directly from the source. It is not inferred or reclassified by SORCShortages.

Pattern series. The active episode series begins March 2017, the start of the mandatory reporting era. Pre-2017 records remain searchable. Episodes with intervals overlapping the reporting-era window are included in the series even if their start date precedes 2017.

Quality handling. Six source date conflicts and one unrecoverable calendar-date issue are retained and flagged rather than silently corrected. Avoidance dates preceding anticipated starts are treated as an expected lifecycle pattern. Missing optional product fields remain missing.

Update schedule. The dataset is refreshed monthly on the first of the month from the public Health Product Shortages Canada export. SORCShortages is maintained separately from the hosted SORCTracks workflows.

For media or research inquiries, contact info@sorc.ca.

SORCShortages: A View of Canadian Drug Shortage and Discontinuation Reports