Vaccines

Flu season has arrived once again, and pharmacists across the country are gearing up to provide patients with vaccines to prevent influenza and medications to treat it.

Officials with the FDA have approved baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza, Shionogi) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients aged 12 years and older who have been symptomatic for no more than 48 hours.

The vaccine, produced by Seqirus, was first approved in the United States in August 2016 for adults 18 and older.

CDC officials note that it is safe to be around infants and young children, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems after you get the shingles vaccine.

Ed Cohen, PharmD, who is Executive Vice President of Pharmacy Advocacy for Pharmacy Times, discusses tips for pharmacists who get questions from patients on the shingles vaccine.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

A new review of clinical trial data show the combination therapy elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GR) has high rates of efficacy for patients with genotypes 1a, 1b, and 4 chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection.

Brown-bag consults can be essential educational and safety tools to measure and ensure quality care. By asking patients to bring in all their current medications, including OTC, mail-order, specialty, and herbal products, pharmacists can guarantee appropriate and up-to-date care.

We all dread the signs every flu season: runny nose, sore throat, muscle aches, and fever.

What should these pharmacists do?

Inconsistency of insurance policy coverage, unaffordability, and difficulty accessing vaccine providers were found to be key barriers for adult immunization.

What's the best advice for a patient who is interested in a vaccine against shingles?

Many pharmacists report that although they like immunizing patients, they sometimes experience awkward silence when preparing injections or offer canned responses when patients ask questions.

Edward Jenner created the first vaccine to protect against smallpox in the 1790s.1 Since then, the pathway to effective and safe vaccines has not been direct or easy, yet millions of lives have been saved, proving that vaccines, in general, are powerful medical interventions.1

Rural communities throughout the united states are at the heart of what makes this nation thrive, yet far too often the residents of these areas lack access to the health care they need. Residents of rural communities account for 20% of the US population, but just 10% of physicians practice in these areas, limiting patient interaction with primary care providers.

When used in combination with an anti-PD-L1 therapy, a novel vaccine plus Diprovocim increased survival in mice with melanoma.

With summer ending, now is a great time to ensure that children and adolescents, from preschool through college age, are up-to-date on their vaccines for school.

Our inability to convince anti-vaccination individuals that immunization is prudent has resulted in increased incidences of some vaccine preventable diseases.

If proven effective, GLS-6150 could be the first vaccine to protect against hepatitis C virus infection.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

The most common strains of influenza start to emerge in epidemics a full 6 to 9 months ahead of European and North American outbreaks

Amid an evolving health care landscape, pharmacists’ growing role in administering influenza and other vaccines can provide them with new opportunities to enhance their business and improve patient health.

A young patient, aged 11 months, suffered a stroke after being infected with the varicella zoster virus, commonly known as chickenpox.

With flu season around the corner, hospitals and other health care facilities will soon be encouraging staff members to protect themselves from the virus with an annual vaccine.

Researchers estimated whether a hepatitis C vaccine could reduce transmission of the virus among injection drug users, even without providing complete immunity.