Pharmacy practice: vaccines: independent initiation and administration.

Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, establishes the California State Board of Pharmacy within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensing and regulation of pharmacists. A violation of the Pharmacy Law is a crime. Existing law authorizes a pharmacist to administer immunizations pursuant to a protocol with the prescriber. Existing law provides additional authority for the pharmacist to independently initiate and administer any COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) , or vaccines listed on the routine immunization schedules recommended by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) , in compliance with individual ACIP vaccine recommendations, and published by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for persons 3 years of age and older. This bill would recast this provision to instead authorize a pharmacist to independently initiate and administer any vaccine that has been approved or authorized by the FDA and received an ACIP individual vaccine recommendation published by the CDC for persons 3 years of age and older.