North Carolina Association of Pharmacists 2021, Issue 7 of 12 ncpharmacists.org
E-News ENews
Advancing Pharmacy. Improving Health.
General News NCAP Appoints Standing Order Teams In anticipation of Governor Cooper signing H.96 into law, NCAP moved to appoint four small teams to work on draft standing orders that will be needed to implement the new law. NCAP has tapped several members to help work on a standing order for each of the following nicotine replacement therapy, oral & transdermal hormonal contraception, HIV post exposure prophylaxis, and Glucagon. This important body of work is underway with the plan to complete drafts in September. FDA Approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Hands down biggest news of the month, was the August 23rd FDA approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty)for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals age 16 years and older. May this full approval give greater assurance and motivate those still not vaccinated to get vaccinated. The emergency use authorization remains in place for the vaccine for those age 12-15 years. FDA Extends Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Expiration Dates
The FDA has approved an extension to the amendment to the EUA for expiration dates for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Cartons and vials of PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine with an expiry date of August 2021 through February 2022 printed on the label may remain in use for three months beyond the printed date as long as authorized storage conditions between -90°C to -60°C (-130°F to -76°F) have been maintained. Please note: the ultra-cold temperature range has been broadened to include -90° C (-130°F). Frozen vials stored at -25°C to -15°C and refrigerated vials (2°C to 8°C) are NOT eligible for extension. The extended expiration date is effective immediately for all currently available batches that have NOT yet expired. NOTE: Expiration dates extension does NOT apply to vials dated July 2021 and earlier. NAIIS Issues Call To Action For All Healthcare Providers Last week, the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) issued a call to action to increase vaccination coverage among U.S. adults. Despite documented health benefits of adult vaccination, adult vaccination coverage rates remain low in the United States, and these rates have plummeted during the pandemic. NAIIS urges all healthcare providers to implement strategies that will improve vaccination of
adults. Let’s face it patients interact with their pharmacist more than any of their other health providers. We recognize that pharmacists may not be fully informed or have easily accessible or accurate immunization records on patients, so consider at a minimum a strategy that assesses whether your patients have been immunized for COVID, have received their flu shot, yet, or if they might be due for a COVID booster, as we move into the fall and winter months. Counterfeit HIV Medications For the second time in eight months fake HIV medications have been found in legitimate U.S. pharmacies. Biktarvy and Descovy counterfeits have been found in the U.S. Watch this video from Partnership for Safe Medicines. Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail for COVID-19 As reported by Kaiser Family Foundation, according a Regeneron spokesperson, shipments of their monoclonal antibody cocktail (REGEN-COV, casirivimab and imdevimab injection) have increased 5-fold, since mid-July, to 125,000 doses per week, to the tune of approximately $1,250 per dose. The FDA issued an EUA for the cocktail. As more and more states’ hospitals are at or near capacity due to the COVID delta variant, some states are now calling on pharmacists to help with adminis-
NCAP E-News Issue 7 of 12 Page 1