ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 28, 2020) — The National Community Pharmacists Association is praising a new prescriptive authority law approved in Minnesota this week. MN SF 13 is the first law in the nation to expand pharmacists’ vaccine authority to allow them to administer Food and Drug Administration-authorized COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to eligible individuals, when a vaccine becomes available. It also allows pharmacists to prescribe self-administered hormonal contraceptives, nicotine replacement medications, and opiate antagonists. Additionally, during a peacetime emergency declared by Governor Tim Walz (D), pharmacists may dispense a therapeutically equivalent interchangeable prescribed drug or biological product pending certain requirements.
Karry La Violette, NCPA’s senior vice president of government affairs, commended the law and said, “Pharmacists are the country’s most accessible health care providers, whether during a pandemic or in calmer times. Thanks to Minnesota’s policymakers, pharmacists can now make an even bigger contribution to patient care and the fight against the coronavirus.”
MN SF 13 was authored by Minnesota Sens. Michelle Benson; Rich Draheim; Justin Eichorn; Matt Klein; and Karin Housley, along with Rep. Hunter Cantrell.
For more information about NCPA, please visit www.ncpa.org.
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Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing over 21,000 pharmacies that employ approximately 250,000 individuals nationwide. Community pharmacies are rooted in the communities where they are located and are among America's most accessible health care providers. To learn more, visit www.ncpa.org.
