Drug Topics July/August 2026

Policy shifts in Medicare and advancements in automation are creating a massive opportunity for both revenue growth and clinical impact.

The current crisis of staffing shortage is not just a labor shortage but a structural failure in how pharmacies recruit and value their technician workforce.

Although DSCSA is often viewed as a regulatory burden, pharmacy leaders illustrate its necessity through harrowing case studies of supply chain failures.

Pharmacy leaders urge regional alliances, scalable clinical services, and data exchange to make pharmacist care reimbursable and routine.

Pharmacists must navigate peptide and GLP-1 compounding legally by understanding 503A vs 503B rules.

As reimbursement rates continue to erode and operating costs climb, independent pharmacy owners are being forced to think like CFOs—not just clinicians.

New intranasal etripamil lets adults self-treat sudden paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia episodes.

Pharmacist-backed travel kit picks tackle motion sickness, dehydration, and stomach upsets for on-the-go relief.

Separating medical and nonmedical products leads to a variety of better inventory decisions in community pharmacies.

When it comes to pain management, safer options such as acetaminophen have emerged as better choices for older adults.

Community pharmacies deliver personalized travel medicine, helping travelers leave protected and prepared.

Community pharmacists deliver travel vaccine clinics, navigate entry rules, and update routine shots with new guidance on polio, measles, and chikungunya.

Counseling, team-based care, and tailored pharmacy interventions remain among the most effective tools against medication nonadherence in the United States.

Community pharmacists use medication therapy management and point-of-care testing for improved hemoglobin A1C, BP, and lipid assessment as well as adherence.

Community and independent pharmacists are beginning to test whether they can help fill the resulting gaps in medication management for older adults.

What ties this issue together is not the size of the pharmacy involved but the resourcefulness required to keep serving patients.