The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services extended the PREP Act protections for pharmacists' vaccine and testing authority through Dec. 31, 2029. The decision allows pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians to continue independently administering vaccines and test to treat services for COVID-19. The authority was set to expire at the end of this month. NCPA was instrumental in advocating for this change with HHS.
Since 2020, licensed pharmacists in all 50 states have been able to use this federal authority to expand vaccination and testing services to more patients where it hadn't previously been permitted within the state's pharmacy scope of practice. Details on the extension will be published later today on the Federal Register here.
