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Pharmacists say Georgia's evolving restrictions around access to abortion coupled with recent guidance from the federal government have created confusion over distribution of medication that can terminate pregnancies...The Biden administration earlier this month warned pharmacists nationwide that they are required to fill prescriptions for pills that can induce abortion. Refusing to give out the prescribed medication "may be discriminating" on the basis of sex or disability and could amount to a violation of federal civil rights laws...Bob Coleman, CEO of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, said the organization is working with national pharmacy associations to get clarity..."We understand that confusing and sometimes contradictory information is being shared," he said. "Unfortunately, the HHS guidance puts highly trained health care professionals...in a seemingly impossible situation."...Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, a pharmacist, called the HHS message to his colleagues a "gross abuse of executive authority."..."There is no constitutional right to an abortion, and as such, there is no constitutional obligation for pharmacists to knowingly dispense drugs intended for an abortion," Carter said in a statement. "This administration has a habit of using health care professionals as political pawns, from vaccines to abortions, and that abuse must come to an end."...READ MORE

America’s economically disadvantaged patients can point in two directions when talking about what is wrong with the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which is designed to help hospitals caring for underserved communities — and the patients they treat — keep necessary medicines reasonably priced: large supposedly “nonprofit” hospitals and for-profit pharmacy benefit managers that serve as 340B contract pharmacies, which together divert billions of dollars in savings that should be helping patients in need...The problem is that the 340B program has become a slush fund for its other participants, the large, supposedly nonprofit hospitals and health systems. They buy drugs at steep 340B discounts, then charge insurers, the uninsured, and cash-paying patients a huge markup. The profits pad the hospitals’ bottom lines and provide ample capital to take over and consolidate local markets, particularly in cancer care. And the result is shockingly little charity care...READ MORE

The White House announced the launch of the first federally supported test-to-treat site, a part of the White House test-to-treat initiative designed to improve access to COVID-19 antiviral oral medications for certain high-risk patients. In response, ASHP sent a letter to Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, requesting the administration dramatically expand access to COVID-19 antivirals in all communities by removing the federal barrier preventing pharmacists from initiating therapy with these time-sensitive medications...READ MORE

A Baltimore-based pharmacy and pharmacist have agreed to pay $15,000 in penalty and adhere to “corrective action” in a case that involves allegedly filling dozens of fraudulent prescriptions despite red flags...The United States entered into a consent decree with Ketan K. Dankhara and Falls RX LLC, doing business as Ultra Care Pharmacy Baltimore, which means the case was resolved without Dankhara and the pharmacy admitting guilt...READ MORE

Despite what you may have heard, pharmacy participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program continues to thrive...Drug Channels Institute’s latest analysis reveals that an astonishing 32,000 pharmacy locations—more than half of the entire U.S. pharmacy industry—now act as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and other healthcare providers that participate in the 340B program. Over the past 12 months, the number of pharmacies in the program has grown by more than 2,000 locations...What’s more, five multi-billion-dollar, for-profit, publicly traded pharmacy chains and PBMs...account for three-quarters of all 340B contract pharmacy relationships with covered entities. Is this really what Congress intended when the 340B program was established in 1992?...The 340B Drug Pricing Program has become the second-largest government pharmaceutical program, based on net drug spending. But unlike such programs as Medicare Part D and Medicaid, 340B lacks a regulatory infrastructure, well-developed administrative controls, and clear legislation to guide the program...READ MORE

Pharmacies are temporarily limiting purchases of the morning-after contraception pill following a surge in demand prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade...CVS, Walmart and Rite Aid...announced purchase limits on emergency contraceptives. Some Michigan pharmacists have reported shortages, but most stores are still stocked and dispensing the pill, said Farah Jalloul, state emergency preparedness coordinator for the Michigan Pharmacists Association...READ MORE

Two drug distributors cannot bring federal civil rights claims against UnitedHealthcare's pharmacy benefit manager Optum unit and an association of state pharmacy boards for allegedly shutting them out of the market by denying accreditation from state boards, a federal appeals court ruled...upheld a lower court judge's dismissal of a lawsuit by distributors PriMed Pharmaceuticals LLC and Oak Drugs Inc against Optum and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, finding the defendants could not be sued under the federal civil rights law because they were not state actors...According to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Newark, PriMed and Oak Drugs, both of which operate in multiple states, were deprived of business because Optum, one of the nation's leading pharmacy benefit managers, requires pharmacies it works with to buy only from distributors accredited by NABP...The distributors said the NABP rejected their applications for accreditation without good reason, violating their due process rights...READ MORE

Merck is suing the Biden administration to avoid potential fines for cutting off 340B contract pharmacies from getting discounted products...The pharmaceutical giant argues in a federal lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that favorable rulings in similar cases make a warning letter from the federal government moot. The lawsuit is the latest in a feud between the federal government and drugmakers over the 340B program...In 2021, Merck became among nearly 20 drugmakers that cut off sales of 340B-discounted drugs to contract pharmacies, which dispense the products on behalf of covered entities. Merck told 340B entities that if they do not join the company’s integrity program and submit claims-level data then it will no longer provide the drugs to contract pharmacies...READ MORE

The role of pharmacy technicians in immunizations has evolved rapidly, particularly over the past 2 years because of COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, pharmacy technicians for the most part were limited to assisting pharmacists in basic tasks related to immunizations. These included screening patients, preparing for the immunization, and performing administrative tasks required for immunization programs...In 2016, Idaho led the way in expanding the role of pharmacy technicians to include administering immunizations...the results were clear: All pharmacy technicians taking part in the study passed their assessments on the first attempt...The momentum for pharmacy technician-administered immunizations continued in Michigan, Washington state, Rhode Island, Utah, and Nevada...READ MORE

No one who provides a service does it for free. Professionals administer these services, and payment is expected...Have you heard about the uninsured person who walked into the pharmacy to get their second or third or fourth COVID-19 shot? The billing mechanism for these patients—the Health Resources and Services Administration—is now out of money, and yet we, the pharmacists, are expected to take care of these patients...According to the CDC website,“[The] COVID-19 vaccine is free of charge for everyone. Participating pharmacies will bill private and public insurance for the vaccine administration fee. For uninsured patients, this fee will be reimbursed through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.”...At least half the patients who come into the pharmacy will ask why we need their insurance card. “These shots are supposed to be free,” they say. I explain to them that it takes at least 15 minutes of our time to administer a shot, and even though the vaccine is “free”—and even the alcohol pads and syringes are “free”—there is still a cost...READ MORE