Leading the Way in Addressing Health Care Disparities

The American Pharmacist Association (APHA)’S House of Delegates recently passed a policy aimed at breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of patients receiving optimal care from pharmacists.

Saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted tremendous disparities in the United States, the association noted in a statement that pharmacists can directly address these disparities among socially disadvantaged and underserved communities.

The APhA also called upon the American Medical Association (AMA) to “join dozens of other health care organizations [that] recognize and support pharmacists providing essential patient care, such as testing and immunization, which has been and will be so important throughout this pandemic and beyond.”

Not mincing words, the APhA called out the AMA for standing in the way of expanded scopes of practice for pharmacists, saying that the medical association’s position impedes the ability of health care professionals to work together to provide care to vulnerable populations.

This issue is not going away, and the rallying cry is likely to only get louder in the months ahead. Pharmacy Times® will follow this issue closely and continue to provide pharmacy professionals with updates on this important front online and in print.

Also in print this month is our Cover Feature on the various treatment options for migraine headaches, including calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists, ergotamine, hormone therapy, lasmiditan, and triptans. The June issue also contains articles on diabetes and mental health, and sinusitis, and post-vaccine care.

Meanwhile, we hope you find the Pharmacy Times® OTC Guide® survey helpful. This special report has grown each year since its launch in 1997, when 85 therapeutic categories were included. This year, we covered 149 therapeutic categories. For the 11th year, the Pharmacy Times® OTC Guide® survey will be available to consumers through a special collaboration with U.S. News & World Report. In addition to the valuable charts that summarize the OTC products most often recommended by pharmacists in 15 distinct health areas, this edition of the OTC Guide® includes a number of articles related to the use and management of OTC products.

We wish you a great start to summer!