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Update on ASHP Resources and Efforts to Help Combat COVID-19

By Paul Abramowitz posted 03-26-2020 14:52

  

Dear Colleagues,

I want to continue to update you on our most recent efforts on your behalf to face the rapidly evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New COVID-19 Resources for All

ASHP continues to work to create up-to-date, evidence-based tools and provide the most current resources that you can trust to support your work on the front lines of patient care. 

ASHP, through the leadership of our drug information staff in AHFS, created an evidence table to help practitioners better understand current approaches related to the proposed treatment and care of patients with COVID-19. ASHP’s Assessment of Evidence for COVID-19-Related Treatments also includes an assessment of the evidence around supportive treatments and selected chronic medications that may be used in this population. 

This resource provides a concise summary – for pharmacists, physicians, and other health professionals – of published studies related to the use of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and remdesivir and other antivirals in the treatment of people with COVID-19. We are updating this document regularly as new evidence becomes available. 

We have made this valuable resource available for free to everyone, both domestically and internationally. We encourage you to share it with anyone who you believe would benefit from it, including your colleagues in medicine, nursing, state and local government, and others. 

Earlier this week, we published our newest resource, supporting the stewardship of off-label treatments for COVID-19. Inappropriate prescribing can lead to an inadequate supply of medications for those who need them most. Stockpiling and hoarding may also create or exacerbate shortages. This resource was created to support the interprofessional care team as it makes decisions about the off-label use of medications for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, allowing clinicians to weigh supporting evidence, risks, and potential benefits. 

Yesterday we issued a joint statement with the American Medical Association and the American Pharmacists Association addressing the inappropriate ordering, prescribing, or dispensing of medications to treat COVID-19. The statement cautions about the lack of strong evidence for the off-label use of medications for COVID-19 as well as stockpiling medications, and opposes the prophylactic prescribing of medications currently identified as potential treatments for COVID-19. 

You can find the full text of the joint statement, tools, and many other resources on ASHP’s COVID-19 Resource Center, which is updated frequently with the latest information and news. Our resources, along with many other practice and educational tools on ashp.org, are now open access and available to all healthcare professionals. We encourage you to share these materials with anyone who may need them in your network and community. 

Personal Protective Equipment Survey

ASHP is closely monitoring personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages that we know are affecting many of our members and other healthcare providers. We are conducting a bi-weekly survey to obtain an updated status of supplies and the availability of medical masks, including surgical masks, N-95 respirators, or mask alternatives currently being used in healthcare settings. 

According to the results of our first survey, 15% of respondents indicated either a major or moderate disruption in the availability of medical masks, and over half indicated their vendor is allocating supplies of PPE. ASHP has been in contact with The Joint Commission, United States Pharmacopeia, and other experts and stakeholders to call attention to the critical nature of some PPE supplies and to develop guidance for compounding pharmacies. The United States Pharmacopeia Compounding Expert Committee has developed recommendations in response to shortages of garb and PPE for sterile compounding. 

The second ASHP PPE survey is currently in the field, and we will continue to update you on the results. 

ASHP Connect Community

Last week ASHP launched the COVID-19 Connect Community. ASHP members — and any healthcare provider — can use this resource to ask questions, receive answers, share experiences, post resources, receive updates, and learn best practices to support your patients and each other. We will also post updates about new resources, guidance documents, news, and announcements to this community. I encourage you to join your healthcare colleagues in the new ASHP Connect Community. 

ASHP Advocacy Efforts

Finally, I’m pleased to share with you that several of ASHP’s recommendations to mitigate the risks that drug shortages pose to patients and the healthcare system were included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that Congress voted to advance yesterday. The legislation, passed unanimously in the Senate, includes five key drug shortages provisions, including:

  1. Prioritizing reviews of drug applications, including expediting inspections and reviews for abbreviated new drug applications
  2. Mandatory manufacturer reporting of some drug shortage information that is currently voluntary
  3. Expansion of current manufacturer reporting requirements to include interruptions or disruptions of a drug's active pharmaceutical ingredient’s availability
  4. Requiring manufacturers to develop risk management and redundancy plans for their supply chains
  5. Including medical devices in shortage reporting requirements during a public health emergency

While the CARES Act provides significant resources to assist hospitals in responding to COVID-19, unfortunately, pharmacist provider status in Medicare, which is language that we have been working to include, is not in this legislation. Please know that we will continue to actively advocate for Congress to recognize pharmacists as providers in the Medicare program, including and beyond the current pandemic.  

ASHP is here to support you in every way we can during this public health emergency. We will continue to bring you new and updated resources to meet your evolving needs and advocate on your behalf. Thank you for being a member of ASHP and for everything that you are doing for your patients and our profession during this pandemic.


Sincerely,

Paul

 

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03-28-2020 13:36

​Thank you Paul and ASHP for being such a great resource and stepping up in this unprecedented time.  Thanks for recognizing what health-system pharmacists need and providing it!!
It demonstrates again the value of belonging to such an influential, renowned professional organization!