NAPRA issues a clarification on vaccine scheduling

The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) has issued a clarification on vaccine scheduling in the National Drug Schedules. Some vaccines may be hard to find in the National Drug Schedules because they aren’t mentioned specifically unless they have been reviewed by the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee, it explains. That includes the COVID-19 vaccine, the HPV vaccine, the live herpes zoster vaccine, the pneumococcal conjugate 13-valent vaccine and the pneumococcal conjugate 20-valent vaccine. Read: Just half of Canadians plan to get their flu shot this fall Vaccines that aren’t in the National Drug Schedules are subject to general vaccine listings, which are available here. Those that haven’t been specifically reviewed but are those which are part of routine immunization programs in most, or all provinces and territories; those which require enhanced public access because of outbreaks, are Schedule II vaccines. The Cholera vaccine (oral, inactivated) when used for prophylaxis against traveller’s diarrhea and due to enterotoxigenic escherichia coli (ETEC) is also a Schedule II vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines, HPV vaccines, the pneumococcal conjugate 13-valent vaccine and the non-live recombinant herpes zoster vaccine are all recommended as part of routine immunizations programs in most or all provinces, and are therefore schedule II drugs. All other vaccines that haven’t been specifically reviewed are Schedule I vaccines. That includes the Hepatitis A vaccine and the yellow fever vaccine, the pneumococcal conjugate 20-valent vaccine and the Live herpes zoster vaccine. These categorizations can always change if immunization program charts do; pharmacists can find out which vaccines are part of current routine immunization programs by looking at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) immunization charts here and here. There also might be exceptions to how certain drugs are scheduled in some provinces and territories; more information can be found on the NAPRA’s website and through provincial pharmacy regulatory authorities.

NAPRA issues a clarification on vaccine scheduling

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