In part one of this series, we highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the vital role that pharmacies play in our healthcare system. Now, we’ll look at the impact of the PREP Act on pharmacy and the potential implications for its future. 

The PREP Act and Pharmacy 

In response to the pandemic, many state governments invoked the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to allow pharmacists, pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians additional flexibilities, such as ordering and administering ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommended childhood vaccinations, irrespective of state laws or regulations. The PREP Act helped pharmacies across the country quickly pivot and scale their operations to meet the needs of their communities.  

The Future of Pharmacy Beyond the PREP Act 

Now that the pandemic is beginning to subside, pharmacies are looking to the future and advocating for the PREP Act to be extended beyond its current expiration date of Oct. 1, 2024. In addition, pharmacies are pushing for state laws to be modernized so that there is more uniformity between states. Similar to how pharmacy was united in defining needs during the pandemic in the PREP Act, they can continue to collaborate to modernize state laws where there is a gap between allowed pharmacy services and work together to find common issues to advocate for at the national level (e.g, allow pharmacy technicians to administer flu vaccines). Read More >>