On July 6, the Food and Drug Administration amended the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Paxlovid, an orally administered COVID-19 therapeutic drug. The amended EUA expressly permits licensed pharmacists to independently order Paxlovid for individual patients under certain conditions.
Pursuant to the governor’s March 30 Executive Order N-39-20 the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) has waived statutory or regulatory professional licensing requirements and amended scopes of practice pertaining to individuals licensed pursuant to Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, including pharmacists.
The DCA waived Business and Professions Code sections 4051, 4052, 4052.1, 4052.2, and 4052.8, to the extent those provisions prohibit pharmacists from independently initiating and furnishing Paxlovid for individual patients, subject to certain conditions.