Pharmacy Perspectives - Winter/Spring 2017 - 13

WINTER

communicated their goals of

States can lower risk of measles
outbreak by strengthening
exemption policies

the rotation was impressive.

Strengthening exemptions could boost
vaccination coverage, reduce costs

The CU students really
stood out. How the students

Their CV, letter of intent,
experiences and letters of
recommendation were the full
package we were seeking.
- KEVIN KERR

total of 43 applicants from a number of pharmacy
schools applied.
"The CU students really stood out," says Kerr.
"How the students communicated their goals of
the rotation was impressive. Their CV, letter of
intent, experiences and letters of recommendation
were the full package we were seeking."
"I have a soft spot for Colorado students especially since there are few opportunities to experience the pharmaceutical industry," says Kerr who
wants to provide those types of opportunities to
the best and brightest in the country, regardless of
where they live or study.
Because the pharmaceutical industry is concentrated on the coasts, there's a lack of exposure
and opportunity for those students pursuing a
PhD or PharmD in Colorado. "If you're located
in 'middle America' there's little opportunity to
experience the pharmaceutical industry unless
you push yourself," says Kerr. Kerr, who grew up
in Colorado, was intrigued by Pharma, but had
virtually no chance to learn more about it until his
fourth-year of the pharmacy program. "Schools on
the East and West Coasts are down the street from
large manufacturing facilities. Colorado doesn't
have that," says Kerr.
Kerr fondly remembers his final year at CU,
pushing for industry-focused rotations including
one at the FDA, which is now a standard offering,
"That rotation was the first time I got to be with
other students interested in industry. It was an eye
opening experience," Kerr recalls.
Thanks to Allergan, that "eye opening experience" is being relived every day by CU students.
Allergan's financial and training support is fueling
future scientific discoveries while helping transform the medicine of tomorrow.

SPRING 2017

B Y D A V I D K E L LY

tates with
weaker
non-medical
exemption
policies for
vaccinations can reduce the
likelihood of a measles outbreak 140 to 190 percent by
strengthening them, a new
study from faculty at CU
Skaggs School of Pharmacy
and Pharmaceutical
Sciences shows.
Researchers said the
magnitude of those outbreaks can also be cut in half
by strengthening exemption
policies for children.
"In the year 2000
measles was no longer
being transmitted in the
U.S.," said the study's lead
author Melanie Whittington,
PhD., a health services
researcher. "Compare that
to 2015 when we had over
150 cases in the first three
months. Suddenly measles
is an issue again despite
having an effective vaccine."
Whittington and her
colleagues, including
the study's senior author
Jonathan Campbell, PhD,
associate professor of clinical
pharmacy at the CU Skaggs
School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences,
wanted to find out why.
Using mathematical
models, they simulated the
magnitude, likelihood and
cost of a measles outbreak
under different non-medical
vaccine exemption policies.
Every state has such
policies. Those with

"easy" exemption policies
typically only require a
parent signature on a
standardized form. States
with "medium" exemption
policies require parents to
obtain a form from a health
department and/or attend
an educational session
on vaccinations, or write
a statement of objection.
Finally, states with "difficult"
exemption policies require
parents to get a standardized form or statement of
objection notarized.
The researchers, using
data from the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention's National
Immunization Study, found
easier non-medical vaccine
exemption policies to be
associated with a greater
risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
The state they modeled
was Colorado, which has
one of the lowest vaccination rates for measles. Only
87.4 percent of children
between the ages of 19-35
months are covered. And 5
percent of kindergartners
report an exemption.
"We modeled an environment where the population
had low vaccination coverage and then simulated
measles outbreaks under
different exemption policies,"
said Whittington. "We found
that a state like Colorado
is 140 to 190 percent
more likely to experience
an outbreak with an easy
exemption policy than if it

Faculty member Jon Campbell, PhD, is the
senior author on a new measles study.

had a medium or difficult
non-medical exemption
policy. The outbreak size can
also be reduced nearly by
half with stronger policies."
While the researchers
focused on measles,
strengthening exemption
policies could benefit
other vaccine-preventable
diseases, such as mumps.
"There is a tradeoff
here," said Campbell, who
specializes in pharmaceutical outcomes research. "It's
a trade between freedom
and risk. Are we willing
to give up a small piece
of freedom that nudges
us toward vaccination in
order to halve the risk of
a detrimental outbreak of
a preventable disease? I
think Colorado should be
willing to make that trade."
The researchers urged
the strengthening of
non-medical exemption
policies as a way to increase
vaccination coverage.
"We are not saying you
can't have non-medical
exemptions," Campbell and
Whittington said. "But if we
strengthen them, we can
improve health and reduce
the economic impact of a
potential outbreak."
The study was published
online in Academic Pediatrics.

The co-authors include
Allison Kempe, MD, MPH;
Amanda Dempsey, MD, PhD
and Rachel Herlihy, MD, MPH.

www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy

http://www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy Perspectives - Winter/Spring 2017