No prescription? No problem: Pa. clears a barrier to covid vaccines

Pennsylvanians seeking a covid-19 shot from their pharmacist no longer need a prescription after the state Board of Pharmacy changed its policies Wednesday.

The change takes effect immediately, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Those interested in getting the vaccine should contact their pharmacies about availability “while pharmacies work through the practical implementation of the board’s expanded approvals,” the department said.

State law requires pharmacists to administer vaccines in line with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency’s immunization committee has yet to recommend the latest covid-19 shots, which target a newer strain of the ever-evolving virus.

This inaction comes as federal Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. packs the committee with vaccine skeptics, “leaving many concerns about the integrity of this review process,” said Robert Bonacci, a special advisor to Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen.

The only workaround was for patients who wanted a covid vaccine to present a prescription. But on Wednesday afternoon, the Board of Pharmacy voted unanimously at a special meeting to approve additional authorities that pharmacists can consult for vaccine guidance.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the updated shots last month, was named an acceptable authority. So were three professional medical associations: The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

All four organizations endorse the latest covid-19 vaccines.

The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists submitted letters to the board vouching for their vaccine recommendation process.

Gov. Josh Shapiro took credit for demanding the Board of Pharmacy meet on the matter.

“Health care decisions should be up to individuals — not the federal government and certainly not RFK Jr.,” Shapiro said in a statement. “My administration will continue to protect health care access for all Pennsylvanians.”

Pharmacists in Pennsylvania must still follow FDA guidance that limits covid-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and younger people with risk factors for severe illness.

About 80% of vaccines in the state are administered by pharmacies.

Grace Sesi, executive director of regulatory affairs for CVS, told the board the pharmacy chain supported widening covid-19 vaccine access. CVS has the vaccine on hand and is ready to administer it, she added.

As of Tuesday, Pennsylvania was one of 13 states — plus Washington, D.C. — where CVS would not give the covid-19 vaccine without a prescription. It was not offering the shot whatsoever in three states.

Walgreens did not immediately return a request for comment.

Michael Rothholz, former chief of governance and state affiliates for the American Pharmacists Association, said some states have taken steps to change relevant regulations and enable greater vaccine access.

Heather Sakely, director of ambulatory care pharmacy, UPMC, also expressed support for the measures, citing the burden placed on patients and doctors in obtaining prescriptions.

A handful of Pennsylvania Democrats, including Rep. Arvind Venkat of McCandless, are crafting a bill that would empower the state Department of Health to decide which vaccines pharmacists can administer.

Venkat, a doctor, told TribLive he has to review the Board of Pharmacy’s decision, but likely will still introduce the bill.

“I’m glad the state Board of Pharmacy did this, but we still need to examine this issue,” Venkat told TribLive on Wednesday.

The Board of Pharmacy’s action does nothing to address the possibility that insurers relying on the CDC for guidance could stop covering the covid-19 vaccine, Venkat noted.

He’s sponsoring a bill that would require private insurers to go with state Health Department recommendations on vaccines.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the title of HeatherSakely. She is director of ambulatory care pharmacy, UPMC.