Ridiculed for their weirdly incompetent response to last fall’s shortage of children’s fever medication, which has ended up costing Albertans $80 million for 1.25 million bottles of two non-standard products that can’t be bought off the shelf, Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party Government decided to brazen it out instead.
“Children’s medication on way to pharmacies,” whooped the headline on the government’s news release yesterday, as if the UCP were just now riding to the rescue.
This echoed the government’s “help is on the way” messaging at the time the purchase was announced in early December.
“The wait is over! Help is now here,” Premier Danielle Smith chirped at a news conference in the aisles of a London Drugs pharmacy in Edmonton.
Back in December, of course, shelves were bare of familiar brands like children’s Tylenol and Advil, hospitals were packed with sick kids battling respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV and COVID-19, and Conservatives just couldn’t stop themselves from blaming Justin Trudeau.
But that was then and this is now. By the time the stuff was approved by Health Canada and bottles started finding their way to Alberta – an earlier shipment went straight to hospitals – trusted and familiar brands had already reappeared on the shelves of the province’s drugstores.
Just the same, yesterday’s government release enthused, “Alberta families can soon purchase children’s liquid pain and fever medication from their local pharmacies.”
The question, posed last Friday in a headline by Global News, is, with more familiar products available again, “Why would any parent purchase this?”
Tylenol and Advil, after all, can be purchased without a conversation with a pharmacist, come in a normal suspension not a weaker blend with an unfamiliar orange flavour like the product Alberta Health ordered from Turkey, and have a familiar dispenser.
But production of the oddball Turkish medicine – which quickly earned the derisive sobriquet Tylenot – was negotiated in haste in early December with Atabay Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals Inc. of Istanbul in what appears to have been as much as effort to own the Libs in Ottawa as to restock shelves of Alberta pharmacies with a needed product.
Maybe the fact it was manufactured by a company owned by the mother of unsuccessful Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz had something to do with the deal hastily cobbled together or maybe it didn’t. We’ll likely never find out about that.
But one thing’s for sure, in two years when the sell-by date on this stuff rolls around, there are still going to be boxes of the bottles gathering dust in the storage rooms of Alberta pharmacies.
It was NDP Children’s Services Critic Rakhi Pancholi who asked the money question about who would actually buy the stuff, even with the Alberta government heavily subsidizing the bottles, when there are adequate supplies of products parents are used to buying.
“If they have what they already know at a dosage they’re familiar with and a flavor they know their kids will take, that’s what they’re going to purchase,” she told Global’s reporter. It’s pretty hard to argue with that.
As Ms. Panchioli explained it, the UCP “were in a rush at every opportunity possible to try to show up the federal government and try to prove something in their ongoing political spat with the federal government.”
Notwithstanding the Alberta government’s hostility to everything federal, though, Health Minister Jason Copping assured Albertans that they could be confident in the product since it had been approved by Health Canada.
The stuff will be marketed as Parol and Pedifen, 750,000 bottles of the former and 500,000 bottles of the latter, and will be sold in pharmacies for about $12 a bottle, the news release indicated. The cost per unit is about $14, it said. But simple arithmetic suggests the true cost per bottle is $64.
Well, from the UCP’s perspective, it must have sounded like a good idea at the time, and, what the heck, it’s only going to cost $80-million.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story gave the number of bottles of children’s medicine produced for the Alberta Government as 750,000. The deal in fact includes 750,000 bottles of Parol, and another 500,000 bottles of Pedifen.
The UCP’s foolishness, and their ability to waste very large amounts of money, knows no bounds.
Well in fairness to Smith and the UCP, I suppose anyone could be caught out by medine shortages in this world of strange pandemic related supply chain disruptions. However, in this case they do deserve to get the t-shirts saying “I blew 80 million and have nothing to show for it” as prizes.
I suppose if you come from the glib world of talk radio where you have to give quick answers and exude confidence, this probably seemed like a good idea at the time. However confidence and competence are not the same things.
We have a government now that had a gusher of revenues, although how long that will last is uncertain. Current oil prices are already over $10 lower than what is projected in the budget. So, Smith and the UCP are probably now running a deficit already based on their budget, even though they probably won’t admitt it.
It may also be an idea for them to also get t-shirts saying, “I blew the last windfall”. When times are good, some here think competence is not that important, but when things quickly change we realize it actually is. We can’t control the price of oil, but fortunately it is still not to late to choose a more competent government.
Public service announcement: among all this talk about fever medication let’s remind ourselves that fever is the body’s natural response to illness. It’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing. The immune system raises the body’s internal temperature to kill off viruses and other infections. So reaching for that bottle of Tylenol and scarfing down a couple of tablets to bring down your temperature may not be the best idea in that it’s making your immune less efficient. Of course it’s a fine line if your temperature gets too high, especially with children, so consult your doctor.
What ronmac says makes sense. Why must we humans reach for a bottle of something or other at the first hint of a cough or fever. Give the immune system a chance to do its job. Also, many doctors say that unless a patient walks out of the office without a prescription, regardless of the malady real or otherwise, they feel cheated.
I’m not sure where you and Ron are getting this idea that fevers must be dealt with ‘au naturale” and this will somehow contribute to a healthy immune system. I don’t know about you but when I have a fever then some relief is certainly welcome.
As for Children’s Tylenol, it certainly is beneficial; ask me how I know. When my youngest son was infant/toddler age a fever would spike his temperature, causing febrile seizures. Witnessing him have two was more than enough for me, it’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. The doctor recommended Children’s Tylenol to reduce fever, which we did until he was 5 years old and “grew” out of the seizures. He never had one again, thanks to the medication. Unfortunately the Tylenol Corp received a lot of my money over the years but it is what it is. Preventative measures.
That said, I certainly don’t disagree with the notion that meds are over-prescribed these days, and not everything requires a pill. But I do disagree that the human immune system is the be-all-end-all solution to all ailments.
I get some of my best ideas during intense feverish states. Looks like it works for you too, Ron.
When I read David’s column I did the math and was appalled that the cost to the government was over $100 a bottle. Then I read the government’s news release and realized the $800M is for both the 750,000 bottles of Parol and 500,000 bottles of Pedifen, which dropped the cost all the way down to $64 a bottle.
Did our expert money managers have anyone look into how long it would take to get the medication approved and imported, and ask if it would still be needed by then? I suppose it is possible the stuff could be useful in the next flu season; hopefully the UCP will be able to argue it was a good idea from the opposition benches.
Bob: Thanks for the correction. The story has been corrected and the useful $64-per-bottle figure has been included. As I have said many times before, I am always grateful to my readers to checking my arithmetic and the accuracy of these columns. My readers are my editors. DJC
The UCP could have named these overpriced and tardy medications from Turkey, “Perfidy” and “Prevarication”. Those names would have been more suitable and more accurately captured the spirit of corruption and incompetence exhibited by the UCP.
I do not understand this.
We purchased children’s Tylenol for our grandchildren at least seven/eight weeks ago. Double package at Costco. Lots on the shelf at that time.
We subsequently purchased a double package of Advil chewable
children’s at Costco. Double pack from Costco. Five/six weeks ago.
Cannot imagine why we would have waited for the Alberta ‘brand’ to hit the shelves.
Another, in a long list, of UCP fiascos. Oh well, at least they tried, right? Many people had documented the ongoing fascism of popularism, ergo conservative/republican, right-winged groups, yet it seems that these people have the momentum, the podium, and the ear of the people. Still, there are those who stand against the onslaught of these Reich minded individuals. To what end?, you may ask.
I maintain that you cannot convince Smith, Putin et al. that they are on the wrong side of history – that decency, common desire for peace, tolerance, and so on will prevail. Smith and Putin think that they are correct, thank you very much, and that those who do not agree with them are wrong and ought to be destroyed. For Smith and her ilk, like the MAGA group amongst many others, there is no other way other than their way period. Indeed, they serve a great purpose in ensuring the the sixth extinction, but they deny the idea of extinction, so there is no hope for those who stand against Smith et al.
Some of my experiences with Albertans are as follows: Listened to a church priest state that Putin must be loved and forgiven; heard another priest say that true believers think that their faith will save them from viruses and the sinful doctors, scientists, and the general public. Attended another church to listen to the pastor and congregation chant conservative slogans, organizing themselves with their American counterparts to destroy progressive/liberal/socialist/democratic organization and the sinners who are part of these ideas/organizations and so on. Just wanted to see what the fuss was all about – not a church person myself. Was I shocked? Yes.
Many people in Alberta are people of deep faith and are determined to do whatever is necessary to prove that they are correct, including changing everything to meet their religious agendas.
In Alberta, if you have a problem/issue then you are the problem.
Now, some first-hand experiences of living in Alberta: Recently, a family member needed ICU, but alas there were no beds, so they took her by ambulance to Red Deer – she died on the way there. She must have been a terrible sinner, so she deserved to die. In another case, Gerry , who was functionally illiterate, needed diabetes medication, but was poor and needed Alberta help to pay for his meds. When he went to apply for the medication, the people in the Alberta office, yelled at him and told him to fill out his own forms, after he informed them that he could not read the forms nor fill them out because he was illiterate, he received no help – the forms remained unfulfilled, and he subsequently died. Guess he was a terrible sinner and so he deserved death. Another Alberta experience is the story of a young man who hitchhiked across Canada with no money but made it all the way across the country because of the kind generosity of many Canadians. However, when this young man was in Alberta not one person helped him and he left Alberta starving. Albertans do not want people here who need help, unless they are attached to a faith group. Then they will receive help from the loving congregation members.
The long and short of these aforementioned stories is that many Albertans are cruel. A cruelty that is part of Alberta culture, generational, a family tradition – whereby there is no bottom to the cruelty, even death is meaningless.Those who are fundamentally cruel, are the supporters of the UCP and have been for over forty years and they will always be here and they will always be in control of the provincial purse strings and they can do no wrong for they are the blessed, the righteous, the faithful.
Call UCP supporters what you will: climate deniers, anti-science, Flat Earthers, bigots, fascists, incompetent, intolerant, violent, dangerous, ignorant, destroyers and so on it makes no difference because they are also deeply religious and that is all that matters as far as they are concerned.
One final thing, do not fret about times of strife because humans will mostly live on – no matter what – look at the numbers in refugee camps, those who live in abject poverty, the displaced, water shortages, the number of children who go without ample food, war, food shortages, disease, and the list is long, sadly long.
The future is bleak and will get worse because the people like Putin, Smith and others will ensure it does, but it will take seemingly forever to destroy the world. In the meantime, it is business as usual. Remember, profit and self above all else.
Say what you will about Vladimir vladamirovich, at least he has won an election.
I do not really like this drug because over-dose and in some cases, any dose, can lead to liver failure.
Here is a quote from the National Institute of Health based on a European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy article from July 2016 about this drug.
“We have considerable evidence that as well as not being particularly effective, neither is it particularly safe. Acute liver failure leading to registration for transplantation was twice as common in non-overdose paracetamol-exposed patients than with NSAIDs in a large case-population study.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6451482/
Ya pays yer money and ya takes your chances with the UCP. But hey, what do you expect from a bunch of incel day drinkers and their fan girl?
All of this keeps demonstrating how inept these UCP clowns really are. Not to mention Smith on her radio program announcing the funeral for the two fallen police officers was to be on Sunday, without talking to anyone, then dusting it off when questioned about it. Just shows how really stupid they are.
Who do you think Danielle smith would rather be, a Dr Oz type talk show host or Jason Kenney. 80
Million to Atabay looks a lot like kissing the ring to me, as you said we will likely never know.
If we lived in some other country, perhaps a tropical one, people might be asking if el jefe and the gang were enriching some offshore bank accounts. Alas, we live in Canada, not Tropico.
The question now is if Albertans are foolish enough to elect this group of banditos for a second term, aka Tropico 2: Pirate Cove.
Unfortunately I do expect Albertans to vote for Smith and Co. They weren’t even smart enough to keep Dr. Henshaw on staff. On the upside she now works here in B.C.
There seems to be an aversion to science in alberta
At least Dr. Oz’s family made bank. Thanks Alberta.
Narratological analyses can be schematic, for sure, but any story gets more interesting when real variables fill in the schema of boxes. For example, the quip that somebody showed up a day late and a dollar short is much more gripping when real numbers and values are assigned the plot-points of Danielle’s children‘s cold-medicines narrative: much more than a day late and way more than a dollar short.
Cartoonist Martin Rowson of The Guardian employs a device in his work known affectionately as a ‘Furcup’ to identify Government error.
Alberta also has a government that dabbles in errors.
Stetsons come to mind, eh? Anyone want to take the reins with this?
Political spin and cognitive dissonance are useful tools for both the aspiring and accomplished ideologue, where; apparently it is a necessary survival tactic “to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them . . . That was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, . . . ”
It is at this psychological, intellectual, and ideological crossroads where capitalist style market failures are ‘remedied’ by embracing and applying command economy principles. The clumsy rationalizations for doing so are unoriginal and somewhat pathetic. Noting that any talk of “nationalization” is the supreme heresy and the ultimate evil. Political ideologues and rhetoricians rely heavily on pathos as a mechanism for persuasion, because the qualities of ethos and logos are either rare, or entirely lacking.
Where for example:
“Perhaps better than anywhere else in the country we understand that the success of our government is dependent upon the success of private enterprise. . . . Alberta is entrepreneurial in the truest sense, as described by Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter who coined the term creative destruction. We do not spend a lot of time thinking about how government should intervene to protect legacy industries. When businesses and sectors get demolished, Albertans get busy figuring out ways to create something new from the rubble.”–Danielle Smith, June 2021.
Even though,
“Alberta taxpayers will soon own half of the Sturgeon Refinery, acquiring an equity stake in a project that had billions of dollars in cost overruns and numerous construction delays before it finally began commercial operations in June, 2020.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-alberta-government-buying-a-50-per-cent-stake-in-the-sturgeon-refinery/
And since it is often stated and assumed that past behavior is a fairly reliable predictor of future behavior, it is generally worth noting that, “The government of the day was not honest with Albertans, and perhaps not even with itself, about the contract it was signing.”
So, “From here, things get awful. In 2014, the Alberta government renegotiated the contract to allow the project partners to earn a rate of return on a larger amount of invested capital. The cost overruns were now on the taxpayers’ backs, not the refinery owners. The owners, as long as they could finance the more expensive refinery, would earn a return on their now-larger investment. They would benefit from cost overruns. But that’s not all: the contract stipulated a minimum equity contribution that the partnership would have to make and, with the project costs escalating, they were unable or unwilling to make it. Rather than allow the entity to fold, the Alberta government loaned NWRP — a private entity — over $400 million so that it could cover its share of the cost. Yes, you read that correctly.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-bitumen-sturgeon-refinery-nwrp-1.5718044
So lemme see. If I have it right the foolish UCP paid quite a lot more for a weaker version of acetaminophen, which arrived late. How about a fire fire sale at the nearest seconds and discount centre? It is what their much beloved private enterprise would do. Why they could even add a book of speeches of Jason Kenney – that would be a useful WC accessory.
How about we give away the tylenot at Tim Horton’s and McDonalds? Seemed to work last time…
No thought went into this Tylenol caper of the UCP and Danielle Smith.
There was no shortage of acetaminophen . It was just a shortage of the childrens and babies formulations. We have compounding pharmacies all over Alberta who could have been subsidized to prepare it. The cost would then only be 1 or 2 million. And our Health care system could have used the other 78 or 79 million.
Jonathan Swift had a modest proposal back in the day. Perhaps it would work today. Eat the children. This would end the need for children’s Tylenol, and improve the diet of the average Albertan.
Did the people of Alberta just pay for Dr. Oz’s failed political campaign in a round about way? Pays to have the right friends I guess.
Dr Oz connection + outcome = fiasco Have I got that about right?
I expect the UCP to be corrupt, incompetent, and uncaring, but I draw the line at life threatening.
In the next election, whenever that is, please vote as if your life depends on it, because it does. Last I checked Rachel Notley never endangered my life like Smith and Kenney have.