Pharmacists leadership in a medication shortage response: Illustrative examples from a health system response to the COVID-19 crisis.

As medication experts, clinical pharmacists play an active and dynamic role in a medication shortage response. Supplementing existing guidelines with an actionable framework of discrete activities to support effective medication shortage responses can expand the scope of pharmacy practice and improve patient care. Dissemination of best practices and illustrative, networked examples from health systems can support the adoption of innovative solutions.

Optimizing use and addressing challenges to uptake of biosimilars.

With the passing and implementation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act in 2010, biosimilars became a new classification of FDA-approved drugs. The biosimilar classification, created with a streamlined drug approval process, was intended to spur competition and reduce the cost of biological product therapies. Since the first FDA-approved biosimilar in 2015, the impact of biosimilars on the US biological product market remains to be seen.