APhA applauds HHS for extending most PREP Act authorities for pharmacy personnel until December 2024

Washington, DC - Today, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) released the following statement in response to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s issuance of the eleventh amendment to the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act for medical countermeasures that ensures certain pharmacy-provided COVID-19 vaccines and related health care services will continue through December 2024.

“APhA commends HHS’s move to ensure that patients will continue to receive critical COVID-19 related health care services throughout the country from pharmacists. Although the public health emergency may have ended, patient care needs for related vaccines, tests, and treatments continue, and patients can be assured that they can receive this care from their local pharmacist, who is the most accessible health care provider,” stated Ilisa BG Bernstein, PharmD, JD, FAPhA, Interim Executive Vice President and CEO.

The announcement follows the April 2023 Fact Sheet issued by HHS in response to the concerns of APhA and others in the pharmacy community about the need to clarify the role of pharmacists and pharmacy teams when the public health emergency expired on May 11, 2023.

###