To review the rationale for requiring prescriptions to control vaccine access, in contrast to other medications. Additional literature was obtained from reference lists of pertinent articles.
Society controls access to medications to protect consumers.
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. 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.