Pharmacists are well aware that polypharmacy is a major issue among patients, especially older adults. Recent studies have estimated that approximately 36% of older adults take at least 5 prescription medications, and 67% take 5 or more medications or supplements, including OTCs.

To encourage the appropriate use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral drug nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid), the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) released an alert for dispensing pharmacists.

Influenza cases and deaths in the United States and worldwide dropped to unprecedented lows between October 3, 2020, and July 24, 2021, according to CDC data. In a typical season, 75 to 150 children die of influenza in the United States, noted pediatric infectious disease specialist Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in a recent JAMA Network article. Last influenza season, he said, one child was reported to have died.

A new study published in PLoS One suggests that the influenza vaccine may help safeguard individuals against COVID-19.