Articles and Blogs

On January 5, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) published an amendment to its Declaration for medical countermeasures against COVID-19 (the “Declaration”) under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (“PREP Act”). Under the amendment, PREP Act liability protections have been extended to eligible pharmacists who order and administer (and qualified... READ MORE

On September 14, 2021, HHS issued a ninth amendment (the “Ninth Amendment”) to the Declaration for medical countermeasures against COVID-19 (the “Declaration”) under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (“PREP Act”). This Amendment expands the scope of authority for licensed pharmacists along with qualified pharmacy technicians and interns relative to FDA-approved COVID-19 therapeutics.... READ MORE

On December 3, 2020, HHS issued a Fourth Amendment to the Declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (“PREP Act”), which, in part, expands access to certain telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency (“PHE”).  Most notably, this amendment preempts state professional licensure laws with respect to “Covered Countermeasures” that are provided through telehealth... READ MORE

With children across the country returning to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming flu season approaching, families can now look to licensed pharmacists to administer childhood vaccines. The United States has experienced a drastic decrease in vaccination rates among children as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to address... READ MORE

On May 19, 2020 the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of the General Counsel (“OGC”) issued an advisory opinion (the “Opinion”) that concludes that the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (“PREP”) Act, “…preempts any state or local requirement that prohibits or effectively prohibits a pharmacist from ordering and administering a COVID-19... READ MORE