On April 11, 2019 the Board approved amendments to the Drug Schedules Regulation to move esomeprazole when sold for the 14-day treatment for frequent heartburn for human use at a daily dose of 20mg and in package sizes of no more than 280 mg from Schedule II to Schedule III, and to establish esomeprazole for veterinary use as Schedule I.
These amendments have now been filed, and came into effect on June 17, 2019.
These changes were made to improve alignment with the Prescription Drug List made under the Food and Drugs Act (Canada), and with a final recommendation made by the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee in November 2018.