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they stated, “We urge Gov. Newsom to remove this arbitrary limitation as an effective way to optimize the system; to increase patient access to routine vaccinations and point-of- care testing, such as COVID-19 testing; and to help pharmacy teams safely, efficiently and equitably provide COVID-19 vaccina- tions to communities throughout the state. Pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy techni- cians continue to serve Californians extremely well throughout the pandemic. Pharmacies have played a key role in advising the State of California, other states, and the federal government about policies needed to keep stores open and operating efficiently, to secure the safety and health of patients and staff teams, to keep patients on their medication therapies, putting patients over paperwork.”
claims include misrepresentations of opioid benefits, lobbying prescribers to increase prescribing certain opioids, failures to limit dosages, and failures to alert overprescribing to the proper authorities. In addition to many others, the retail superstore Walmart is being sued by the U.S. Justice Department, who allege that Walmart’s pharmacies have contributed to the opioid crisis. The December 2020 filing alleges that Walmart failed to properly screen their pharmacies for abusive opioid prescribing practices. Specifically, Walmart is accused of violating the Controlled Substance Abuse Act by not properly detecting and reporting suspicious prescribing activity and dispensing such prescriptions regardless of concerns. Previously in October 2020, Walmart sued the DEA and the Justice Department, alleging the government was attempting to place all the blame regarding opioid misuse on Walmart and not on other entities, especially governmental policies themselves. Claims made by the Justice Department assert that pharmacists were unable to reject prescriptions written by providers suspected of overprescribing opioids. Moreover, the staff was pressured to rapidly fill as many prescriptions as possible, hindering their ability to closely scrutinize over-prescribers and limiting their ability to share vital information between stores that would help detect over-prescribers.
Source: https://drugstorenews.com/ nacds-cra-call-increase-ratio-pharmacists-pharmacy-tech s
CAL I FORN I A ASKS FOR I NCREASE I N PHARMAC I STS TO PHARMACY TECHN I C I ANS RAT I O Steve Anderson, President and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), and Rachel Michelin, President and CEO of the California Retailers Association, are urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to increase the pharmacist to phar- macy technician ratio in California. Currently, California maintains the most restrictive pharmacist to pharmacy technician ratio in the United States at 1:1. Nearly half of the other states have a greater ratio than 4:1. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the health care community, including the pharmacy community. Pharmacy resources have been stretched thin, yet pharmacies have risen to several ever-changing chal- lenges. For example, pharmacies used every available resource to bring the COVID-19 vaccines to the public as efficiently as pos- sible. They mapped out how to receive, handle, and store the vaccine. In turn, they trained pharmacy technicians to give the vaccines to patients, increasing the number of vaccine locations in many communities. Increasing the pharmacist to pharmacy tech- nician ratio is necessary to reach patients in rural and underserved areas. Thus, an improved ratio could help bring COVID- 19 services including screening, testing, and vaccinations to communities and pop- ulations in every corner of California. In a statement by Anderson and Michelin,
WALMART SUED OVER OP I O I D CR I S I S
Source: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/opioids/us-sues-walmart-says- its-pharmacies-fueled-opioid-crisis.html
The opioid crisis has significantly impacted both the public and pharmaceutical policies in recent history. The overuse and abuse of opioids have adversely affected many Americans. As a result, Americans increasingly feel that opioids are not being used per their original intent, leaving many patients addicted and unable to stop using these medications. The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) has imposed numerous new regulations, such as limiting prescribing amounts and dosages. Pain contracts, defined as a written agreement between doctor and patient determining how to go about treatment related to opioid therapy, have led to agreements with patients as to how their pain will be treated. For example, pain contracts can outline non-narcotic and non-medication treatment options for pain. For example, pain counseling has become more widely available and may help to scale back prescriptions for opioid treatment. Additionally, manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies have been sued for their alleged part in this crisis. Defendants’
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