Should vaccines require a prescription?

OBJECTIVE: To review the rationale for requiring prescriptions to control vaccine access, in contrast to other medications. DATA SOURCES: Literature on immunization delivery and health-service barriers was reviewed via MEDLINE search and relevant textbooks. Additional literature was obtained from reference lists of pertinent articles. DATA SYNTHESIS: Society controls access to medications to protect consumers. Many medications have changed from prescription-only to over-the-counter (OTC) status. No parenteral drug has been switched, although insulin has long had OTC status. Limiting access to vaccines has advantages in record-keeping, storage, injection quality, and response to anaphylactic reactions. These advantages are outweighed by 600000 people who will die over the next decade for lack of pneumococcal and influenza immunizations. Physicians see most of those who die of these diseases, but many neglect to vaccinate them. Three options are offered to expand access to these vaccines. The most feasible one involves expanding prescribing authority for pneumococcal and influenza vaccines to all licensed healthcare professionals and paraprofessionals with physiologic and pharmacologic expertise to responsibly vaccinate. Community pharmacies offer advantages as immunization delivery sites, in terms of proximity, hours of operation, and knowledge of people at highest risk. Expanded professional training can ensure high levels of public safeguards while expanding immunization delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Society decides the controls needed to protect the health of the people. If society restricts vaccine access too severely, people die needlessly. Increasing prescribing authority for pneumococcal and influenza vaccines to more health professionals will save many lives.