News release

Apotex, Canada’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, is working diligently to minimize the impact of COVID-19 within our supply chain.

“Amid fears that the generic drug supply chain will experience disruption, I want to reassure Canadians that our priorities are clear,” said Jeff Watson, President & CEO of Apotex. “The safety of our employees and ensuring continuity of supply for patients to the best of our ability, are first and foremost.”

Our active inventory management strategy combined with our safety stock program, has resulted in a low risk to drug supply interruptions in the short and medium term. This includes inventory and safety stock for both active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) – the substance in medicines responsible for the beneficial health effects experienced by patients – as well as finished products. Our biosimilar portfolio, focused on oncology, is unaffected by the demand for API, and we do not foresee risks with these products.

“In addition to securing supply for the short term, we are also actively preparing for longer term scenarios,” said Mr. Watson. “While we cannot predict how the evolution of this virus will impact other parts of the global supply chain, we are pursuing every step we can to minimize disruption.”

Additionally, we are the largest API producer in Canada, and this also helps to mitigate the risk.

We continue to collaborate and communicate with regulators, suppliers, partners and customers.