ASHP Adopts New Policies Around Misinformation and Vaccine Access Gaps

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) House of Delegates voted to approve 16 new policy positions at its meeting last month at ASHP Pharmacy Futures.¹

Among them, several policies speak directly to the pharmacy workforce's role in public health protection, addressing vaccine access, the spread of health misinformation and disinformation, artificial intelligence (AI)-related threats to professional identity, the FDA’s public health mission, and the role of evidence-based medicine in clinical decision-making.

Pharmacy Workforce Named Leader in Vaccine Access

Policy 2614, Pharmacy Workforce Leadership in Improving Vaccine Access, affirms that the pharmacy workforce leads efforts to increase patient access to vaccination in order to improve public health. The policy supersedes ASHP policy 2247 and calls for collaboration with stakeholders to support pharmacists', student pharmacists', and pharmacy technicians' role in initiating, preparing, and administering all adult and pediatric vaccines.²

The policy also advocates for state and federal health authorities to establish centralized, interoperable vaccination databases accessible to all health care providers, along with payer coverage guarantees without cost sharing for evidence-based vaccines. According to the rationale, state laws currently vary widely in which vaccines pharmacists and pharmacy technicians may administer and to which patient populations, and regulatory flexibility granted under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act during the COVID-19 public health emergency allowed technicians and student pharmacists to administer COVID-19 and influenza vaccines through 2029.²

The policy calls for permanently allowing trained and certified pharmacists to order and administer all adult and pediatric vaccines, including by eliminating collaborative practice agreement requirements for some vaccinations.²

The rationale also emphasizes fostering public vaccine confidence, which it defines using the CDC's language as the trust that patients, families, and providers place in recommended vaccines, the providers who administer them, and the processes behind their development and approval.²

Combating Disinformation and Unauthorized AI Impersonation

Two additional policies address related threats to public trust in health information. Policy 2617, Role of the Pharmacy Workforce to Combat Public Health Disinformation and Misinformation, affirms that disinformation and misinformation undermine public health and trust in health care professionals, increasing the risk of adverse patient outcomes. The policy commits ASHP and its members to educate individuals on recognizing and countering false information, to oppose its dissemination by members of the pharmacy workforce, and to collaborate with partner organizations on the issue.³

Notably, the rationale draws a distinction between misinformation and legitimate clinical disagreement, stating that differences in evidence-informed professional opinions, including vaccine recommendations based on individual patient factors or emerging data, are not the same as misinformation. The policy states that efforts to address disinformation must distinguish the intentional or reckless spread of falsehoods from good-faith clinical judgment that reflects the complexity of real-world care.³

Policy 2619, Protecting the Pharmacy Workforce Against Unauthorized Synthetic Media, takes on a newer threat, whcih includes AI-generated "deepfake" content that impersonates health professionals. The policy advocates for federal and state laws, regulations, and enforcement mechanisms that protect the pharmacy workforce and health care organizations from liability and other harms arising from unauthorized or deceptive synthetic media.⁴

According to the rationale, pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians may have their names, likenesses, or credentials misused to lend false credibility to inaccurate medical information, and current legal frameworks do not consistently address AI-generated impersonation of health care professionals or provide protection when professional identities are misused. The policy calls for standardized, accessible frameworks to report suspected deepfakes and support timely removal of harmful content.⁴

Reaffirming FDA's Role and Evidence-Based Practice

Policy 2618, FDA's Public Health Role, affirms that the FDA's mission is to ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs, biologics, and medical devices through risk assessment, product approval and labeling, and manufacturing oversight, while deferring to state regulation and professional self-regulation on matters of clinical use. The policy, which supersedes ASHP policy 0012, supports sufficient federal resources for the FDA to meet its public health mission and calls for the appointment of practicing pharmacists to FDA advisory committees. It also supports ongoing dialogue between the FDA and ASHP, with the rationale noting that this stakeholder engagement must be protected from political interference.⁵

Rounding out the group, Policy 2623, Evidence-Based Medicine, defines the concept as the conscientious, explicit, and judicious appraisal and application of the best available current data, integrated with clinician expertise and patient values, to inform clinical practice decisions and professional policy development. The policy affirms evidence-based medicine as a foundational principle of pharmacy practice and of ASHP's own policymaking and advocacy positions. The rationale acknowledges ongoing debate around the term, noting that evidence-based medicine is not a replacement for individual clinical expertise and does not consist solely of randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses.⁶

ASHP indicated it plans to release a series of news stories, podcasts, and videos breaking down the full set of new policies in the coming weeks.¹

REFERENCES

1. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ASHP has new policies on standard of care, vaccine access, pharmacy education, and more. ASHP News. July 21, 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://news.ashp.org/News/ashp-news/2026/07/21/ashp-has-new-policies-on-standard-of-care-vaccine-access-pharmacy-education-and-more

2. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ASHP Policy Position 2614: Pharmacy Workforce Leadership in Improving Vaccine Access. ASHP Policy Positions Database. 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.ashp.org/pharmacy-practice/policy-positions-database/2026/2614

3. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ASHP Policy Position 2617: Role of the Pharmacy Workforce to Combat Public Health Disinformation and Misinformation. ASHP Policy Positions Database. 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.ashp.org/pharmacy-practice/policy-positions-database/2026/2617

4. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ASHP Policy Position 2619: Protecting the Pharmacy Workforce Against Unauthorized Synthetic Media. ASHP Policy Positions Database. 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.ashp.org/pharmacy-practice/policy-positions-database/2026/2619

5. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ASHP Policy Position 2618: FDA's Public Health Role. ASHP Policy Positions Database. 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.ashp.org/pharmacy-practice/policy-positions-database/2026/2618

6. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ASHP Policy Position 2623: Evidence-Based Medicine. ASHP Policy Positions Database. 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.ashp.org/pharmacy-practice/policy-positions-database/2026/2623