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Some drug companies are pulling fentanyl patches and tablets from the Canadian market, the prescription variety of an opioid implicated in a growing number of overdose deaths nationwide.

With public fear about the highly addictive painkiller rising, and doctors cracking down on prescribing all opioids in the face of the deadly drug crisis, the move could be a reflection of a market drying up, says an official with an umbrella group for pharmacists.

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“I think we can all agree it (fentanyl) is a challenging prescription now to issue,” said Allan Malek, vice-president of the Ontario Pharmacists Association and its chief pharmacy officer.

“My guess is that they (the drug companies) may be seeing a decline in the number of prescriptions, so I think the market may be having an impact. The profitability may be declining,” he said.

Mandatory filings by the companies with a website set up by Health Canada show five drug companies have stopped production of fentanyl, each citing unspecified “business reasons.”