An investigative drug for treating postpartum depression is one step closer to being the first federally approved pill for the condition that affects 1 in 8 mothers, The Boston Globe reported Feb. 6. 

Other than the nationwide authority for pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines, there is wide variation among states on which vaccines pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are authorized to administer, according to the American Disease Prevention Coalition. 

As a plethora of healthcare settings struggle with hiring and retaining pharmacy technicians, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists introduced an online tool Feb. 6 aimed at addressing the nationwide shortage. 

Technicalities on routine vaccinations and administrative timelines for hospital formulary processes could hinder children's protection against respiratory syncytial virus. 

A Pennsylvania law that went into effect Feb. 3 allows providers to write prescriptions in sexually transmitted disease cases for their patients' sex partners. 

Of the hundreds of drugs currently in short supply, there are four shortages to keep an eye on in February, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

In the two years since opening, a Georgia pharmacy that fills prescriptions for free has given out more than $2 million worth of medications, Fox affiliate WAGA-TV reported Feb. 2. 

The American Medical Association is tracking about 60 bills that seek to broaden pharmacists' scope of practice, and its senior attorney said the legislation is "very concerning for us."

The flu vaccine engineered for 2022-'23's atypical early season reduced the risk of "medically attended influenza A(H3N2) illness" by half, according to a study published Feb. 2 in Eurosurveillance. 

At 80 percent of local pharmacies, pharmacy technicians are the most difficult position to fill, according to a January poll conducted by the National Community Pharmacists Association. 

The American Hospital Association sent a letter to HHS on Feb. 1 requesting a meeting in a "sincere attempt to accelerate the regulatory process" of 340B repayments after years of wading through litigation. 

Some healthcare experts and leaders expressed confusion about the FDA's decision to remove the need for a positive COVID-19 test before Paxlovid or Lagevrio can be prescribed. 

A new preprint study found that Merck's COVID-19 pill, Lagevrio (molnupiravir), creates new mutations of the virus in some patients who take the drug, validating concerns scientists had warned about before it was authorized at the end of 2021, Bloomberg reported Feb. 1. 

Two more pharmaceutical companies plan to restrict 340B drug discounts to community pharmacies, nonprofit organization 340B Health said Feb. 1. 

The FDA altered its emergency use authorizations on Paxlovid and Lagevrio, two COVID-19 treatments, on Feb. 1 to revoke a requirement for a positive COVID-19 test before a provider can prescribe them. 

GoodRx Holdings illegally shared patient data to advertise on Facebook and Google, the Federal Trade Commission said Feb. 1, and the Justice Department filed a first-of-its-kind proposed order totaling $1.5 million against the prescription savings provider.

With CVS and Walmart planning to reduce pharmacy operating hours at most of their locations, pharmacists will have too much work and not enough time, the American Pharmacists Association said Jan. 30. 

A vaccine candidate developed by University of Georgia researchers could protect against more than 80 percent of fungal infections as antifungal drug resistance grows. 

So far in 2023, pharmaceutical companies have raised prices on 988 brand-name drugs for an average 5 percent wholesale acquisition cost increase, according to 46brooklyn Research, a nonprofit that tracks drug pricing data. 

With the nation's COVID-19 public health emergency directive set to end in May, the pharmacy industry will see at least five changes, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.