As we reach the midpoint of American Pharmacists Month, we must continuously honor the pharmacists who do heroic work every day in the face of incredible pressures. Pharmacy workforce shortages exist in almost every area of the country. Corporations can seem insufficiently responsive to the stresses of pharmacy practice. Patients may aggressively challenge the professional judgment of pharmacists and other pharmacy personnel. A toxic mixture of vaccine misinformation and disinformation fuels distrust. Keeping up-to-date with the rapidly evolving vaccine guidance from government authorities can be difficult. We recognize these problems and are thankful for your invaluable work.

The American Pharmacists Association supports the Biden administration’s efforts to implement a comprehensive plan to vaccinate children age 5 to 11 against COVID-19.

A recent study published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology sheds light on the debate about acetaminophen use for pregnant women. After reviewing the medical literature on the topic going back 25 years, the research team is urging caution on the use of this common OTC during pregnancy because of the strong link associated with adverse neurological, urogenital, and reproductive outcomes in children.

Over the past few years, blood pressure medications have been recalled due to concerns about N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable carcinogen. But this may not be the only impurity to be worried about in these medications. As drug companies have addressed the NDMA issue, they have also found new potentially dangerous chemicals known as azido impurities.