Being prepared: COVID-19 & T1D supplies in Canada

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, there have been lots of questions in our community about how someone living with Type 1 diabetes and the supplies they need to live a healthy life might be impacted by COVID-19. We reached out to insulin and device manufacturers on Monday March 16 to learn more about what they are doing to ensure supply continuity in Canada. 

We also wanted to remind the community that the recommendation to ensure you have diabetes supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic is not for a fear of supplies running it out in Canada or pharmacies closing. The recommendation has been put forward in case you get sick, have to self-quarantine, or would prefer not to visit the pharmacy while social distancing. Having what you need on hand will help you out during these times: One less thing to worry about! 

We have heard reports that some pharmacies have asked people in the community to wait a day or two while additional supplies come in. We reached out to companies to find out if these delays were related to actual product shortages, and the answer has widely been: NO. Instead, it seems the issues are due to a large number of people in our community filling the same prescriptions at the same time. Although we can understand that it is frustrating to have to wait, we hope that this helps to ease minds. 

Here is the information that the diabetes device and insulin manufacturers have passed on to us, specific to the Canadian market, along with the products each of these companies make (and you might use!) for easy reference.

We are also providing you with some important information about the other players in the supply chain, as best we can. This includes pharmacies and couriers. We’ll keep this post updated as needed and as information is available. 

In addition, our partners at Beyond Type 1 have done an excellent job at rounding up the facts about Type 1 diabetes and how COVID-19 impacts our community. If you haven’t had the chance, check out their article and bookmark it for future reference. They are keeping it updated and relevant. Their information has been verified by Dr Anne Peters, professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and the Director of the USC Clinical Diabetes Programs.

“Among the concerns raised due to the impact of the novel coronavirus is whether patients can count on a reliable supply of medicine. Lilly has been closely monitoring our supply chain for potential impacts since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in China and at present, there is no disruption to the Canadian or Global supply of Lilly medicines, including all forms of insulin. Our Chinese production facility is operational and supplies the local market only.  Globally, all of our manufacturing sites and contract manufacturers are also operational and taking steps to mitigate/prevent impact. Operational status is monitored continuously both locally and through our corporate response team. Additionally, we are in close communication with key suppliers to ensure we continue to receive supplies of raw materials. We will communicate promptly if the situation changes but again, as of this time we do not anticipate supply disruptions.

All of Lilly Canada’s medicines are in stock and available. If you are having difficulty securing a quantity of a Lilly medicine for yourself or a pharmacy, please contact us at
1-888-545-5972.”

For the most current updates, click here.

“Novo Nordisk’s key priority is to safeguard the continued supply of our lifesaving medicines to patients. The situation is continually evolving, but currently we are not experiencing any supply constraints. We are well prepared for situations like this and have an inventory policy that serves long-term supply. This is important since our medicines are needed every day by patients all over the world.”

“At Sanofi, we have a simple purpose – to discover breakthrough medicines and vaccines to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. This drive to transform the practice of medicine has taken on increased urgency for everyone in the Sanofi family since the emergence of COVID-19 across the world… We are working to maintain the supply of all of our medicines and vaccines through close collaboration with our suppliers throughout the world. At this time, Sanofi does not anticipate shortages for patients resulting from the COVID-19 situation.” (Read full statement.)

“We are closely monitoring the coronavirus across our business operations. At this time, there has been no impact on availability of Abbott’s diabetes care products. We will continue to monitor the situation throughout our global manufacturing and distribution network as things continue to evolve.”

 “At Dexcom, we are tracking the Coronavirus situation closely with three key priorities in mind: keeping our employees safe; serving our patients; and doing what we can to minimize the spread in our community. We have reviewed our supply chain in detail, and while we will continue to monitor it closely, at this moment there are no interruptions to Dexcom’s ability to produce and supply product as a result of the Coronavirus. Additionally, we continue to take every step to ensure every single one of our products that goes out the door meets the highest safety standards. We are committed to communicating with our customers as the situation evolves.” (See full statement.)

“With growing global concerns around COVID-19 (coronavirus), we can appreciate that you may have some questions and we wanted to provide you with an update. Medtronic is driven by our Mission to contribute to human welfare, and the ability to deliver access to our life-saving technology is vitally important to achieving that Mission.  To date, we are not experiencing any significant impact to our operations. We have robust business continuity plans to help ensure that support and delivery of our products to patients is not interrupted. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will provide ongoing updates as needed.” (See full statement.)

“The Omnipod® Team is continuing to vigilantly monitor the Coronavirus outbreak. At this time, Insulet does not anticipate any product supply issues and will continue to deliver our Pods to those who depend on our product to manage their diabetes without any delays. We have systematic contingency plans in place and as part of our standard policy, and we have built inventory and redundancy throughout our supply chain, all designed to mitigate against any supply shortages. Pods are manufactured in a controlled clean room with proper gowning requirements and environmental controls to ensure the sterility of each Pod.” (See full statement.)

Please note: Diabetes Express has limited the number of Omnipod boxes that an individual can order at one time to THREE boxes of TEN pods (30 pods in total.) Please keep this in mind when ordering.

“We do not anticipate a shortage of infusion sets, cartridges or other supplies at this time… Since the initial outbreak, our supply chain team has been in close communication with suppliers, particularly in regions more heavily impacted by COVID-19. As the global situation evolves, we’ll continue working to safeguard the reliable supply of our infusion sets and other items… Globally, our distribution network is fully operational and we’re taking ongoing steps to prevent any impact from COVID-19. We’re currently confident about being able to meet the needs of our international customers.” (See full statement.)

“We currently do not have any shortage on Ypsomed Diabetes Care products. The mylife YpsoPump insulin pumps and mylife YpsoPump Reservoirs are manufactured in Switzerland and there is no supply issue. The mylife Orbit infusion sets are manufactured in Mexico and the production is running. Additionally, we have enough stock in our European warehouse. Our Clickfine, Penfine Classic, Optifine and AutoProtect Pen Needles are produced in Switzerland without manufacturing or supply issues. The mylife Unio, mylife Cara and mylife Pura Glucose monitoring supply from Bionime in Taiwan is fully operational. We hold sufficient inventory of our Unio and Pura products in our warehouse. mylife Lancets and mylife Autolance are manufactured in China. We have enough stock at our warehouse to supply for the next 5 months. We confirm to our customers, partners and authorities full product availability to date. Furthermore we are continuously monitoring the supply situation and we will update any change of the state.” (See full statement.)

“We have noticed clients ordering sooner and in larger quantities.  Our stock levels at this time are very strong for Medtronic and Unomedical products, good for Libre and Guardian 3 sensors, and limited for Roche and Ypsomed items.  Canada Post and other couriers are experiencing higher order volumes and have informed us that deliveries may take 3-5 business days to arrive.  If you require express shipping or have therapy questions please call 1-888-678-8887 or email info@diabetesdepot.ca.”

“We are experiencing a higher than normal call volume and increased orders on our website. We are committed to providing excellent service during this time and will continue to try our best to have all orders shipped on time. We are encouraging all clients to place their orders on our website. Delivery times have increased and our customers can expect to see a delay of 1-3 business days to receive there order.”

Please note: Diabetes Express has limited the number of Omnipod boxes that an individual can order at one time to THREE boxes of TEN pods (30 pods in total.) Please keep this in mind when ordering.

If you haven’t heard of Pocket Pills, they bring pharmacy to your doorstep and can take care of your diabetes as well as all other medications. You can sign-up by going to https://app.pocketpills.com and have your medications delivered to your home for free.

“To lessen the risk of drug shortages that could result from increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry is providing the following information to pharmacists and dispensing physicians. In order to protect drug supply and ensure that sufficient medication will be available for all Ontarians, the Ministry of Health is recommending pharmacists and dispensing physicians dispense no more than a 30-days’ supply of ODB eligible medications. Dispensers may use professional judgment to provide a longer days’ supply in exceptional cases with appropriate documentation. The supply should not exceed the usual supply for the patient.”

To read more, click here.

ACP along with Alberta Health and the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association have established the expectation that effective immediately prescriptions are to be provided in quantities that do not exceed a thirty (30) day supply. This will assist in stabilizing Alberta’s drug supply, and ensure all patients have access to the medicine they need. To read more, click here.

Pharmacists in this province are advised to only give 30 days of treatment to their patients. Aimed at avoiding artificial drug shortages, this directive is in effect until further notice.  To read more, click here.

“As the situation caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) quickly evolves, we want to assure you that all of us at Canada Post are doing everything we can to keep our employees, customers and the communities we serve safe.

Following the direction of the Public Health Agency of Canada, we continue to introduce new safety measures to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Until further notice, these safety measures will now include a change to how we deliver the door-to-door items that normally require a signature.

To help minimize points of close contact in our communities, we will no longer be requesting signatures for any deliveries to the door. This will eliminate the need for scanners and stylus pens to be passed back and forth during the delivery process of these items.

Instead, where possible, our delivery agents will apply our safe drop process. This means they will leave these items in your mailbox or outside your door if it’s safe to do so. Where it’s not possible to safe drop, our delivery agent will leave a notice card indicating the post office where you can pick up your items by showing proof of identity.”

(See full statement.)

“As you are aware, COVID-19 continues to impact populations and markets around the world. This situation is evolving every hour, and I want to assure you that Purolator is on top of it. We continue to put in place new measures based on all recent developments to protect the health and safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. Here is a summary of the measures we are taking:

Releasing packages without a signature
Purolator’s drivers, shipping centre employees and partners will release packages with verbal consent, as opposed to requiring a written signature for most types of shipments. This avoids the spread of germs through scanners and styluses being passed back and forth.

Recommending alternate and digital options for picking up and dropping off packages
Our Purolator Shipping Centres remain open. To protect all individuals visiting these centres, we are encouraging people to schedule shipments online and use Purolator’s digital shipping options. If recipients are not home to receive a delivery, we ask them to please use our chat option on purolator.com or reach out to our Customer Service team at 1 888 SHIP-123 to make alternate delivery arrangements.

(See full statement.)