Pharmacists Showed They Are Heroes in 2020

As 2020 ends, it is hard not to reflect on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic this year. We thank pharmacists and pharmacy staff for stepping up amid this health care crisis.

Pharmacists have always been trusted health care professionals, but they left no doubt that they are heroes during the pandemic. Many worked on the front lines to help patients and put their own health at risk during these unprecedented times. We salute pharmacists and pharmacy staff for their professionalism and courage.

Throughout the year, Pharmacy Times® Health-System Edition and our other Pharmacy Times^® publications have offered coverage of COVID-19 in print and online through our coronavirus resource center. We have covered news related to this topic and spotlighted pharmacy heroes, those pharmacists and technicians working to make a difference for their patients during the pandemic. In this issue, for example, Gina Dube, PharmD, RPh, CACP, looks at how COVID-19 is linked to cardiovascular complications. We will continue to bring our readers news about COVID-19 into 2021, including pharmacists’ potential role in administering vaccines once they become available. The ability to take on this role promises even more opportunities for pharmacists to cement their value with patients and in their communities.

We also endeavor to bring readers news in many other important areas, as well. In this issue’s cover feature, Andrew J. Donnelly, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, and Jamie Paek, PharmD, explore how to adopt biosimilars into clinical practice. Readers also can find information on choosing the most appropriate therapy to fight influenza and the latest on treatments for renal cell carcinoma. Editor in Chief Curtis Haas looks at attacks on the 340B drug pricing program and how that creates challenges for individuals with low incomes.

Meanwhile, Pharmacy Times® Health-System Edition is covering all the major conferences, which are virtual this year. Look for print content and online coverage, including articles and videos, from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear 2020 Clinical Meeting and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, both in December.

As we head into the holiday season, we hope that pharmacists and pharmacy staff get a well-deserved break after working even harder than usual in 2020.

We wish for brighter days in 2021.

Stay safe, and thank you for reading!