11 French Medicines and Their Canadian Equivalents

"Spasfon in Canada?" "Biafine in Montréal?" These questions come up constantly on expat forums — and the answers people trade often contradict each other. Here is what the official registers say, with nothing made up.

The method: Canadian availability was checked against Health Canada's Drug Product Database (DPD) — the authority's own register of authorized medicines — on August 29, 2026. French data comes from the ANSM's Base de données publique des médicaments (BDPM). When a medicine is absent from the DPD, it means no product containing that substance has been authorized in Canada — not that it is "banned."

At a glance

Entry by entry:

The straightforward equivalents

Doliprane → Tylenol (acetaminophen)

Same active ingredient: paracetamol, called acetaminophen in Canada. Sold freely (Tylenol, store brands), but with no 1 g over-the-counter format. We wrote a full guide to Doliprane in Canada — strengths, labels, and the daily-maximum difference between the two countries' labels.

Dafalgan and Efferalgan → also Tylenol

France's Doliprane / Dafalgan / Efferalgan trio is three brands of the same paracetamol (per their BDPM records). In Canada it all collapses back to "acetaminophen."

Nurofen → Advil, Motrin (ibuprofen)

Same molecule, ibuprofen. In France, Nurofen moved behind the pharmacy counter in January 2020 (the same ANSM decision as paracetamol); in Canada, Advil and Motrin sit on open shelves. The DPD lists dozens of Advil products.

Imodium → Imodium

A simple one at last: same brand, same substance (loperamide 2 mg) on both sides of the Atlantic — the DPD lists the Canadian Imodium range (capsules, Quick Dissolve, Complete), the BDPM its French cousins.

Levothyrox → Synthroid (prescription only)

Levothyroxine exists on both sides — Levothyrox in France, Synthroid in Canada, both prescription-only. The DPD lists Synthroid in more than twelve strengths, including in-between steps (88, 112, 137 µg). And this is where equivalence stops being enough: even with a perfect equivalent, a French prescription cannot be dispensed by a Canadian pharmacist. Our French-language guide PVT Canada : partir avec ses médicaments explains what to do.

The trap: same brand, different formula

Gaviscon in Canada is not the French Gaviscon

The brand exists on both sides, but it doesn't name the same products. In France, the Gaviscon sachet lists sodium alginate 500 mg + sodium bicarbonate 267 mg (BDPM). In Canada, the DPD's Gaviscon entries describe different compositions — the "Extra Strength" tablets are registered with alginic acid and aluminum hydroxide, and the only "Gaviscon" entry currently marketed in that register is… a dimenhydrinate anti-nauseant (Gaviscon Nausea, DIN 02490528). Recognizing the brand isn't enough — read the label of the product in your hand.

The absentees: never authorized in Canada

This is the part most "France-Canada equivalence" listicles skip: several staples of French pharmacies have no Canadian equivalent at all, because the molecule itself was never authorized there.

Spasfon in Canada: nothing

Phloroglucinol (Spasfon and its generics) matches zero products in the DPD. The molecule has essentially only European approvals. There is no "Canadian Spasfon" — Canada's antispasmodics are different molecules, and choosing one is a healthcare professional's call, not an equivalence table's.

Smecta in Canada: nothing either

Diosmectite is absent from the DPD. (Smecta shows up on reseller sites — that's gray-market import, not a Health Canada authorization.) On the French side, note that since February 2019 the ANSM advises against clay-based medicines for children under 2, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding.

Vogalib in Canada: nothing — and beware the false friend Gravol

Metopimazine (Vogalib) is absent from the DPD. Canada's anti-nausea shelf is held by Gravol (dimenhydrinate) — a different molecule, from the antihistamine family. Gravol is not "Canadian Vogalib"; it is simply what the Canadian register lists in that aisle.

Strepsils in Canada: cancelled entries

A surprise: Strepsils was authorized in Canada — the DPD keeps the record — but the entries we checked are marked "Cancelled Post Market" (2013 for the one we verified). On Canadian shelves that niche belongs to Cepacol and Chloraseptic, built on different active ingredients.

Biafine in Canada: the most famous absentee

Trolamine emulsion, France's sunburn reflex, matches no equivalent in the DPD. It is probably the most-cited gap on expat forums — and it is real.

What to take away

Three lessons from the official registers:

1. Think in active ingredients, not brands. "Paracetamol" opens every door; "Doliprane" opens none.
2. A familiar brand can hide a different formula (Gaviscon).
3. Sometimes the honest answer is "it doesn't exist here" — better to know before you fly than at a Montréal pharmacy counter.

That is exactly the lookup Kayu does, for any medication: compare what the BDPM and the DPD publish, and tell you honestly when the equivalent doesn't exist.

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This article describes what health authorities (ANSM, Health Canada) publish as of the date shown; it is not medical advice. A product's absence from the Canadian register means it was not authorized there, nothing more. For any question about a treatment, talk to a pharmacist or doctor. The brands mentioned (Doliprane, Tylenol, Spasfon, Gaviscon…) are the property of their respective owners and are named only to identify the products; Kayu is not affiliated with any manufacturer.