In This Issue:

MPA CEO Perspective

MPA News

• Participate in the 2023 MPA Economic Survey
• Registration Open for MSHP Annual Meeting Oct. 27
• Michigan Pharmacist Journal Published
• Save the Date: UP Division Fall Conference Oct. 7-8
• Promote with the MPA Social Media Form
• Law Books Available for Purchase

MPA Member Updates

• MPF 2023 Golf Classic — Register Today
• Wrigley's Pharmacy Grand Opening Celebration for Second Tele-Pharmacy June 16

CE Events

• Upcoming CE Opportunities

Upcoming Events

• Pink Book Registration Now Open

Professional Practice

• MPA Receives Clarification on IBT Rule From LARA

Legislative and Regulatory News

• MDHHS Issues Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations
• Medicare Outlines Plan to Expand Coverage for Costly New Alzheimer Drugs
• FDA Updating Warnings to Improve Safe Use of Prescription Stimulants Used to Treat ADHD and Other Conditions

COVID-19 Updates

• Moderna COVID-19 Shots Receive Shelf-Life Extensions
• FDA Approves First Oral Antiviral for Treatment of COVID-19 in Adults

We’re starting something new this year with a call for nominations to serve as delegates in the House of Delegates for the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). Annually, the MPA Executive Board Nominations Committee is responsible for recommending candidates to the MPA Executive Board to serve as delegates for each organization's House of Delegates (HoD).

If you are interested in serving as a delegate for either APhA or NCPA, you must be a member of the organization. The APhA HoD will meet March 22 and 25, 2024, during the association’s Annual Meeting & Exposition March 22–25, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. In addition, APhA holds virtual webinar/open hearing sessions in the fall of 2023 and winter of 2024. The NCPA HoD will meet Oct. 17, 2023, during the group’s Annual Convention & Exposition October 14-17, 2023, also in Orlando. HoD appointments will be made annually by MPA.

If you feel a calling to serve, especially if you plan to attend either of these meetings, then please complete the MPA Member Engagement Form. When completing the form, you will find the APhA and NCPA House of Delegates information under the "Other Volunteer Opportunities" section which is located at the end of the form.

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, June 30, 2023. MPA members selected to be delegates will be notified by Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

I hope to see you as a delegate at either the NCPA or APhA House of Delegates!

Every two years, the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) conducts an economic survey of pharmacy professionals in Michigan to evaluate salaries, benefits received, and other practice issues.

Please take a few minutes to anonymously add your responses to help provide pharmacy professionals and employers with valuable salary and benefit information. Links to the surveys are listed below.

Survey responses must be received no later than Friday, June 9, 2023.

The 2023 Michigan Pharmacy Economic Survey results will be published and available to MPA members in the July issue of the Michigan Pharmacist Journal.

Questions? Please contact MPA.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Please select the appropriate survey based on your pharmacy profession:

Pharmacist Survey

Pharmacy Technician Survey

Student Pharmacist Survey

MSHP Annual Meeting Registration is Open!

Michigan Pharmacist Journal Published

The April/May/June 2023 edition of the Michigan Pharmacist Journal is now available online! Click the cover image to the right to read about the following topics:

• MPA Members Stack Up Awards: At home and nationally, MPA members bring home hardware.
• President's Platform: MPA President Hope Broxterman looks at opportunities ahead for pharmacists.
• From the Foundation: Don't take a mulligan on the annual MPF Golf Classic June 21.
• Advocacy Update: Read up on how you can promote pharmacy priorities at the state and federal levels.
• MSCP Focus: MSCP President Brooke Roe gives pharmacists some phrases to live by, while Thomas Burns looks at how pharmacists can help women have greater access to hormonal contraception.
• New program: Wayne State professors and students give a glimpse of the school's new ambulatory care concentration.
• Free CE for Members: Lessons Learned Across Ambulatory Care Telehealth Practices in Michigan. See page 9 for more details.

Please note: The Michigan Pharmacist will be available in digital format only. Printed copies may be requested via email at MPA@MichiganPharmacists.org.

Promote with the MPA Social Media Form

Have something you think is worth sharing on MPA social media channels? The MPA Social Media Request Form may be right for you!

This form, available on the MPA website here, allows members to promote events or resources, recognize member accomplishments, or share other messages and information. Submitting this form does not guarantee that your content will be shared. MPA will reach out to you if your content cannot be shared.

You must be logged in to you MPA account to view and fill out the form.

If you have any questions, contact MPA Communications Manager Ryan Weiss.

Fourth Edition Pharmacy Law Books Available to Purchase

The fourth edition of the Michigan Pharmacists Association's "Pharmacy Law Simplified: A Practical Approach to Contemporary Practice" is now available for purchase!

"Michigan Pharmacy Law Simplified" is intended to be informative and provides additional guidance to pharmacy professionals in relation to pharmacy practice in Michigan. The book compiles state and federal laws and rules relevant to pharmacy practice, avoiding legal jargon.

To get a copy, visit the MPA store, fill out the Online Store Order Form and email it to MPA@MichiganPharmacists.org.

Michigan Pharmacy Foundation Golf Classic

Register Below!

Wrigley's Pharmacy Grand Opening Celebration

for Second Tele-Pharmacy June 16

Implicit Bias Training

4-6 p.m. June 15

APhA Pharmacy-Based

Immunization Training

9-11 a.m. July 19

Implicit Bias 2.0:

Education, Practice and Teams

10 a.m.-noon Aug. 25

Implicit Bias 2.0:

Education, Practice and Teams

4- 6 p.m. Oct. 24

Pink Book Registration Now Open

Registration for the Pink Book Conference is now open. This live, two-day course is intended for state, county and regional immunization programs. Two speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide an overview of vaccination principles, general best practices, immunization strategies and specific information about vaccine-preventable diseases and the vaccines that prevent them. 

The conference will be held June 13-14, 2023, at the Lansing Center. Registration and a light continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m. A light lunch will also be served. There is no charge for this event. 

Due to limited space, registration for this event will close at 450 participants and a waiting list will begin.

Contact Connie DeMars at demars@anr.msu.edu with any questions or if you sign up for the event and cannot attend. This will allow an individual from the waiting list to attend instead.

MPA Receives Clarification on IBT Rule From LARA

The Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) has recently received several questions regarding changes in Michigan's implicit bias training (IBT) requirements. Part of the initial IBT requirement was that the session was held live with the ability for registrants to interact in real time with the course faculty. This requirement changed on March 23, 2023, allowing for "an asynchronous teleconference or webinar." This means the IBT course can now be pre-recorded and does not need a live component or instructor.

Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) confirmed to MPA that people who took a non-live course before March 23, 2023, must retake the course to meet the requirement.

If you have any questions regarding IBT requirements, please contact MPA@michiganpharmacists.org.

If you need to take implicit bias training, click one of the buttons below to sign up. All of MPA's implicit bias training sessions meet licensing requirements and are created by pharmacists for the pharmacy profession.

MDHHS Issues Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued the following routine recommendation for meningococcal vaccines, which differentiates between MenACWY and MenB vaccines.

1. For Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age: cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html 

2. For more information regarding Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (MenACWY), including guidance for catch-up and for persons who are at highrisk, refer to the Meningococcal Conjugate Quick Look at michigan.gov/vaccinequicklooks and Immunize.org’s handout titled, “Meningococcal ACWY vaccine recommendations by Age and Risk Factor” at immunize.org/catg.d/p2018.pdf 

3. For more information regarding Meningococcal Serogroup B (MenB), including guidance for catch-up and for persons who are at high-risk, refer to the Meningococcal Serogroup B Quick Look at michigan.gov/vaccinequicklooks and Immunize.org’s handout titled, “Meningococcal B Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor” at immunize.org/catg.d/p2035.pdf 

4. For vaccines required for school entry in Michigan, refer to “Vaccines Required for School Entry in Michigan” at mcir.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/08/SchoolEntryReqVaccinesParentsMI_5.3.2021approvedfinalpublish.pdf

Medicare Outlines Plan to Expand Coverage

for Costly New Alzheimer's Drugs

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans Thursday, June 1, to allow Medicare to broadly cover a new class of Alzheimer's medications following extensive lobbying efforts by pharmaceutical companies and patient advocates.

According to CMS, the class of monoclonal antibody medications directed against amyloid plaque in the brain must have traditional approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — which none of the current medications have. Physicians must also participate in registries to gather information on how drugs work in actual settings rather than strictly controlled clinical trials. Some advocates said the plans are insufficient to ensure patients with early-stage diseases can access the medications.

For instance, some healthcare providers might not opt to participate in registries. However, other experts say the registries would offer more insight into how the therapies work. The first drug in the class likely to receive FDA approval is lecanemab (Leqembi—Eisai/Biogen). FDA approved the medication on an accelerated basis in January and may potentially gain full approval as early as July. Read More (paid subscription may be required)

FDA Updating Warnings to Improve Safe Use of Prescription Stimulants Used to Treat ADHD and Other Conditions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates that updates be made to the boxed warning and other information for stimulants prescribed for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), binge-eating disorder and other conditions.

The agency cited the need for consistency across the entire class of these medicines. It noted that "the current prescribing information for some prescription stimulants does not provide up-to-date warnings about the harms of misuse and abuse, and particularly that most individuals who misuse prescription stimulants get their drugs from other family members or peers."



The FDA pointed out that people prescribed stimulants are frequently asked to share their medication. The agency said that "sharing prescription stimulants with those for whom they are not prescribed is an important concern and a major contributor to nonmedical use and addiction. Misuse and abuse of prescription stimulants can result in overdose and death, and this risk is increased with higher doses or unapproved methods of taking medicine such as snorting or injecting."

Comments on Administrative Rules for Pharmacy Benefit Manager Licensure and Regulation Act Due June 9

As posted in the notice of public hearing, comments on the proposed Administrative Rules for Pharmacy Benefit Manager Licensing and Regulation are due Friday, June 9. The Department of Insurance and Financial Services will hold a public hearing to receive public comments at 10 a.m. in the First Floor Forum of the Michigan Library and Historical Center, 702 West Kalamazoo St. in Lansing.

Comments on these proposed rules may be made at the hearing, or by mail or by email at the following addresses until 5 p.m. June 9:

Department of Insurance and Financial Services, Office of Research, Rules and Appeals, attention Michele Estrada, P.O. Box 30220, Lansing, MI, 48909-7720, or EstradaM1@michigan.gov.

The pharmacy benefit manager licensure and regulation act (2022 PA 11) mandates that the director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services promulgate rules that are necessary or required to implement the act, including rules regarding fines, suspension of licensure, restriction of licensure and revocation of licensure. Consistent with the pharmacy benefit manager licensure and regulation act (2022 PA 11), the proposed rules establish the following: 

• The application contents and fee
• The license renewal schedule and fee
• Standards regarding fines, suspension of licensure, restriction of licensure, and revocation of licensure.

Moderna COVID-19 Shots Receive Shelf-Life Extensions

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reports that several lots of bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have received shelf-life extensions. Moderna has verified the new expiry dates listed below. To check product expiration dates, use the manufacturer’s online expiry tool, Moderna Vial Expiration Checker.

Currently, five lots in the field qualify for a shelf-life extension:

Additional lots eligible for the shelf-life extension are currently located in either the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) depot or the vaccine manufacturer’s inventory but may be shipped to the field in the future. This list is provided below:

FDA Approves First Oral Antiviral

for Treatment of COVID-19 in Adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the oral antiviral paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir tablets co-packaged for oral use) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19. Paxlovid is the fourth drug — and first oral antiviral pill — approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 in adults.

The FDA said paxlovid manufactured and packaged under the emergency use authorization (EUA) and distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will continue to be available to ensure continued access for adults, as well as treatment of eligible children ages 12-18 who are not covered by today’s approval. Paxlovid is not approved or authorized for use as a pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent COVID-19.



The efficacy of paxlovid was primarily supported by the final results of the EPIC-HR clinical trial. EPIC-HR was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial studying paxlovid to treat non-hospitalized symptomatic adults with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.