Pharmacist Updates Sep. 2025

Deter patients from storing vaccines at home

NSW Public Health Units (PHUs) have received reports about patients who have stored vaccines unrefrigerated for extended periods after they purchased them from a pharmacy and/or they were advised to store a privately purchased vaccine in a domestic fridge before taking it to another provider, e.g. GP, for administration. These scenarios result in potentially ineffective vaccines being administered to patients.

Patients should be advised that vaccine/s must be taken directly from the pharmacy to their healthcare professional for vaccine administration. If this is not possible, pharmacists may also advise the patient that the vaccine must remain in the pharmacy’s refrigerator, until it can be taken directly to the healthcare professional for administration. If there is concern that a vaccine has been stored outside the recommended +2°C to +8°C range, the vaccine must not be administered, and the patient may need to purchase a replacement vaccine dose.

Alfoil bags provided in community pharmacies for privately purchased vaccines are not effective in maintaining the cold chain. Vaccines should not be left in a car or stored in a domestic refrigerator in alfoil bags. Further information is available in the section 6.2 of the updated National Vaccine Storage Guidelines ‘Strive for 5’ published on the Australian Government website in September 2025.

NIP and state-funded vaccines are free for eligible patients

Reports have been received from members of the public about being charged in community pharmacy for the supply of National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines.

Eligible patients must not be charged for the supply of NIP and state-funded vaccines as they are supplied free to community pharmacies. For NIP vaccines, pharmacist immunisers should  apply for reimbursement through the National Immunisation Program Vaccinations in Pharmacy (NIPVIP). NSW pharmacist immunisers may charge patients an administration fee for privately purchased  or state-funded vaccines.

SKAI resources for adolescent vaccination now live

Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) has recently released an expansive new suite of information about vaccination for adolescents to help parents make informed decisions about the vaccines recommended to protect adolescents from a range of infectious diseases. It covers practical strategies to reduce needle fear and special considerations for adolescents with disability as well as accessible information on all vaccines recommended for adolescents.

This communication suite is informed by evidence and uses plain, jargon-free language to meet the growing need for accurate information about vaccination for adolescents in the digital age. NSW pharmacist immunisers can refer patients to the SKAI website as required when discussing immunisation and providing advice.