Estrogen patches in Canada

Every patch and strength

Canadian boxes print the dose in micrograms a day: 50 mcg is the same as 0.05 mg on a US box. Each strength has its own DIN, the number on the box and on your pharmacy label, which is how Drug Shortages Canada files its reports.

• Available
• Limited
• Short
• Discontinued
• No data

Statuses checked October 18, 2026 against each row's source. We re-check every week.

Drug Shortages Canada, where makers must report a shortage, is the official record. Its pages sit behind a "verify you are human" check that our tools can't pass, so a row here only says short or limited where a source we could read says so. That is mostly the makers' own statements. A "No data" row may still be short: search its DIN on drugshortagescanada.ca to see the latest report.

What Sandoz and Bayer have said

Sandoz told the Toronto Star in October that a spike in demand it called "unprecedented" can't be fully met yet. The paper reported that Estradot 100 mcg had been out of stock since August 3, while Sandoz's own generic in that strength, Sandoz Estradiol Derm 100, was available but not in every pharmacy (Toronto Star). In March the company said it planned to raise production by more than 20 per cent this year, and warned that supply would only settle "progressively" even after a formal shortage ended (CBC News).

Bayer says Climara 50 is short because of higher demand and expects it to be resolved by December 2026. It stopped making the 100 mcg Climara in Canada in 2018, calling it a business decision.

What Health Canada has done

Health Canada's line has been that "alternatives remain available" when single strengths run short, and that patients should talk to their prescriber or pharmacist (CBC News). The patches are not on its Tier 3 list of shortages with the biggest impact, and they are not on the list of drugs that may be imported from other countries during a shortage, issued October 15, 2026.

British Columbia has covered menopausal hormone therapy in full under PharmaCare since March 1, 2026 (Global News), which helps with cost but not with supply.

A long history of gaps

This isn't new in Canada. Drug Shortages Canada recorded 92 shortages and four discontinuations of products containing estradiol between 2017 and August 2025 (CBC Radio). With Oesclim gone since 2024 and Climara down to three strengths, Estradot and its Sandoz generic carry most of the market.

The combination patch

Estalis, from Sandoz Canada, combines estradiol 50 mcg with norethindrone acetate (140 or 250 mcg) and is changed twice a week (product monograph). DINs 02241835 (140/50) and 02241837 (250/50). We haven't found a current shortage report for it.

If your strength is out

Start with your pharmacist: ask whether another maker's patch in the same strength can be ordered, and whether they can switch you or must contact your prescriber first. Doctors interviewed by the Toronto Star describe patients being moved to two lower-strength patches or to a gel; CBC spoke to a pharmacist who said patches "can often be cut or doubled up". Those are prescriber decisions, and not every patch can be cut.

Any change of brand, strength or form is a decision for your prescriber, and your pharmacist can check what they can order.

More on the options: switching patch brands and gels, sprays and tablets.

Questions about Canada