Innovations-Magazine-June-2023 - 19

PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS UPDATE
Pharmacists Administered More
Vaccines Than Physicians in
Four-Year Period: Report
Pharmacists in the United States administered
more recommended routine vaccinations than
physicians from 2018 to June 2022, reported
the Global Healthy Living Foundation and
consultant company IQVIA. According to
the data, about 60% of vaccinations during
influenza season took place in pharmacies.
This trend in flu vaccine administration
revealed a 30%-40% increase in claims for
influenza vaccines at pharmacies from 2018
to 2020, and, excluding temporary and
government public health sites, more than
90% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
vaccines were dispensed at pharmacies in
both 2021 and 2022. The report is not
limited to findings on the influenza and
COVID-19 vaccines; it also noted that most
shingles vaccines and a large proportion of
pneumococcal vaccines were administered at
pharmacies as well. More information can
be found on the IQVIA Institute website.
HIPAA Compliance and Violations
of Unsecured Protected Health
Information Discussed in HHS
Report to Congress
The US Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) delivered two 2021 reports
to Congress regarding compliance with
the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and
violations of unsecured protected health
information to help regulated entities in their
HIPAA compliance efforts. The 2021 report
to Congress on HIPAA Privacy, Security, and
Breach Notification Rule Compliance presents
data on the number of complaints received,
the method by which those complaints
were resolved, the number of compliance
reviews initiated by the HHS Office for Civil
Rights, and the outcome of each review. The
2021 annual report on Breaches of Unsecured
Protected Health Information presents data on
the number and types of unsecured protected
health information breaches that were reported
to the secretary of HHS during 2021 and the
actions taken in response to those breaches.
HHS' announcement and the reports can be
accessed on the HHS website.
USP Report Outlines Steps to Bolster
Preparedness in the Supply Chain
The US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP)
published a summary of the 2022 Convention
Exchange Series on Ensuring a Resilient
Supply Chain: A Shared Imperative. The
topics discussed at the three sessions were
reducing barriers to adoption of advanced
manufacturing technologies, bolstering
preparedness along the medicines supply
chain, and preserving a quality supply of
antimicrobials and combating antimicrobial
resistance. The report shares highlights from
the three-part series and presents updates
related to USP initiatives, such as the Medicine
Supply Map and the launch of the USP
Advanced Manufacturing Technology Lab.
It also includes recommendations to support
resiliency at multiple stages of the medicines
supply chain. The USP report is available on
USP's Convention Sectors web page.
FDA Launches New Dietary
Supplement Ingredient Directory
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
launched its new Dietary Supplement
Ingredient Directory, which is a database
that lists the ingredients used in products
marketed as " dietary supplements " and
actions taken and statements made by FDA
in response to those ingredients. The agency
will update the directory periodically to
show recent developments that it has taken.
FDA notes that additional feedback and
information regarding these ingredients
can be submitted to FDA's Office of
Dietary Supplement Programs. The Dietary
Supplement Ingredient Directory can
be accessed on FDA's website under the
" Dietary Supplements " page.
SAMHSA Study Shows
Disparities in Services for
Adolescents With Substance
Use and Mental Health Disorders
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) published its
National Substance Use and Mental Health
Services Survey. The survey provides a general
overview of 20,622 substance use and mental
health facilities and information on the use
of pharmacotherapies/medications, if they
offer suicide prevention services, and whether
language assistance is provided. According
to the data, 48% of facilities that treat both
substance use and mental health disorders
offered services tailored to adolescents, whereas
only 24% of substance use-specific facilities
offered tailored services to this age group. The
data were collected through a secure web-based
questionnaire, a paper questionnaire sent
by mail, and a computer-assisted telephone
interview from April 30, 2021, through January
10, 2022. Additional information about the
survey can be found on the Publications and
Digital Products page on the SAMHSA website.
Common Misconceptions on CBD
Discussed in SAMHSA Advisory
SAMHSA published a new advisory,
Cannabidiol (CBD) - Potential Harms,
Side Effects, and Unknowns. The
document explains what CBD is, how the
phytocannabinoid is derived, and how it
differs from delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
and other cannabinoids. Furthermore, risks
and common misconceptions about the
compound are addressed. The advisory can
be found on the Publications and Digital
Products page on the SAMHSA website.
JUNE 2023 | 17

https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports/trends-in-vaccine-administration-in-the-united-states https://www.usp.org/sites/default/files/usp/document/about/convention-membership/conv708B-exchange-supply-chain-paper_2023-02.pdf https://store.samhsa.gov/product/national-substance-use-mental-health-services-survey-2021/pep23-07-00-001?referer=from_search_result https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/02/17/hhs-office-civil-rights-delivers-annual-reports-congress-hipaa-compliance-breaches-unsecured-protected-health-information.html https://store.samhsa.gov/product/advisory-cbd-potential-harms-side-effect-unknowns/pep22-06-04-003?referer=from_search_result https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements/dietary-supplement-ingredient-directory

Innovations-Magazine-June-2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Innovations-Magazine-June-2023