Health Canada loss or theft reporting: a step-by-step for pharmacies

If a controlled substance is lost or stolen — including an unexplained shortage you've investigated and confirmed as a loss — federal rules require you to report it to Health Canada. Here is the process at a high level. Always confirm the current requirements and forms with Health Canada and your provincial college.

1. Confirm it's a genuine loss

A shortage on a count is not automatically a loss. Investigate first — re-count, and check the records behind the expected figure for an unlogged destruction, a dispense under a different DIN, or a transaction outside the count window. The reporting clock generally starts once you have a confirmed loss or theft, not at the moment a number looks off.

2. Report within 10 days

Report a confirmed loss or theft of a controlled substance to Health Canada's Office of Controlled Substances, generally within 10 days of becoming aware of it. A theft involving a break-in or robbery should also be reported to the police — often immediately — in addition to Health Canada.

3. Gather the details

You'll typically need the substance(s) and strength, the DIN, the quantity involved, the date you discovered the loss, the circumstances, and the steps you took. Health Canada provides a controlled-substances loss or theft reporting form for this purpose.

4. The right person submits it

Submitting the report is the pharmacy's responsibility, made by the qualified person in charge (or the responsible person at your pharmacy). A reconciliation tool can prepare a draft from the count's shortages, but a qualified person must review it for accuracy and submit it.

5. Keep a copy

Retain the report and the supporting records — your count, your investigation notes, and any corrective action — with your reconciliation documentation, retrievable for at least two years.