Empowering Pharmacies: Preparing for Respiratory Season: RSV, Flu, COVID, and Beyond

Introduction

Cold and flu season arrived right on time this year, and it will once again fall to the nation’s pharmacists to provide Americans with the immunizations, medications, and supplies that will keep them healthy and comfortable in the coming months. As pharmacists prepare to ramp up efforts to increase vaccination rates and remind patients about good hygiene and other illness-avoiding tactics, they will face a few twists, namely a spike in COVID-19 infection rates, new guidance for COVID-19 immunizations, and for the first time, patient access to a nasal spray alternative for flu immunizations.

Pharmacists can best meet the needs of their patients by ensuring shelves are fully stocked with immunizations, medications, and over-the-counter products, and by positioning their pharmacy as a one-stop source for all respiratory-related needs. Pharmacists can rely on technology, including solutions available from PrimeRx to seamlessly manage core processes including inventory procurement, patient records management, communication, and immunization compliance, among other capabilities.

2025-2026 Flu Season

With regard to influenza, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)recommends everyone 6 months of age and older receive an updated vaccine, unless underlying conditions pose a risk. The health agency advises that September and October are the ideal months for vaccination, to ensure maximum protection.

2025-2026 Trivalent Vaccines

The CDC has determined that all vaccines for this flu season will be trivalent, and include vaccine viruses or viral proteins from one influenza A (H1N1) virus, one influenza A (H3N2) virus, and one influenza B/Victoria lineage virus.

As in past years, different manufacturers have been tasked with supplying appropriate vaccines, with each variation targeted at a specific age group and patient needs. Manufacturers and their products include:

AstraZeneca (FluMist)

GSK (Fluarix and FluLaval)

Sanofi (Flublok and Fluzone),

CSL Seqirus (Afluria, Fluad, and Flucelvax).

Important to note, this is the first year that FluMist will be available for direct dispensing to patients. Previously patients could only receive the nasal mist alternative at a pharmacy, prescriber’s office or other type of healthcare facility. Beginning this year, patients have the option of having the vaccine sent directly to them, through AstraZeneca’s FluMist HOME online ordering service.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV)

The Fall months are also prime spread time for RSV, with babies, young children, older adults, and adults with certain risk factors especially prone to contracting the illness. According to the CDC, while anyone can contract RSV, most people contract the illness for the first time as a baby. “Nearly all children will get RSV before their second birthday,” the agency notes, although repeat infections may come at any age.

Among adults, risk factors for RSV include:

Chronic lung or heart disease.

Weakened immune system.

Living in a nursing home.

The virus is generally transmitted when a person with RSV coughs or sneezes in close proximity to another person, or by touching a surface such as a doorknob or countertop that has the virus on it.

RSV Vaccines

The CDC recommends RSV vaccination for all adults ages 75 and older and adults ages 50-74 who are at increased risk for severe respiratory illness. However, since RSV immunizations generally last for two years, a pharmacist will need to review a patient’s record, and ensure an immunization is necessary before administering an updated vaccine.

According to the CDC, three vaccines are currently approved for use in U.S. adults. (These are in addition to vaccines administered to mother’s during pregnancy, and RSV antibodies administered to babies whose mothers did not receive the vaccine.)

Current adult RSV immunizations include:

Abrysvo from Pfizer.

mResvia from Moderna.

Arexvy from Glaxo SmithKline.

COVID-19

Although COVID-19 infection rates are a fraction of what they were at the height of the pandemic, confirmed cases are ticking up, just as students head back to school and the winter cold and flu season approaches. According to analysis of CDC data by ABC News, in mid-August the COVID hospitalization rate was 1.7 per 100,000, “double the rate from two months ago.” In addition, for the week ending August 23, 11.2% of COVID test results were positive, compared with 3.3% over the prior two months.

The increase in infection rates coincides with new guidance from the Food and Drug Administration regarding vaccine eligibility. In late August, according to the New York Times, the agency announced that vaccines were approved “only for people who are 65 or older and people who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk.” This is a change from previous guidance which recommended immunization for everyone over the age of six months.

The updated recommendations, the Times reports, has resulted in confusion both among patients and pharmacies. Patients face uncertainty about their ability to obtain a vaccination if they don’t meet the FDA’s list of medical conditions, and the possibility that the cost of the vaccine may not be covered by their insurer. Pharmacies must contend with a new regulatory landscape and ensure compliance with new mandates. “The biggest problem is that in some states,” the Times notes, “the law prohibits pharmacists from administering vaccines that are not recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a Centers for Disease Control panel.” However, the ACIP has yet to give its approval to this year’s vaccines, affecting vaccine administration in 16 states.

Pharmacists should pay close attention to their state’s immunization protocols and have procedures in place to administer vaccines once the regulatory hurdles have been resolved.

COVID-19 Vaccines

Beginning in Fall 2025, the FDA is requiring COVID-19 vaccines that “more closely match currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses.” Approved vaccines are monovalent JN.1-lineage-based COVID-19 vaccines (2025-2026 Formula), that preferably use the LP.8.1 strain. Updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines and manufacturers include:

Moderna (Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE).

Pfizer (Comirnaty).

Novavax (Nuvaxovid).

As the above discussion makes clear, this year’s respiratory illness season has arrived right on schedule, and pharmacists will once again have a critical role in helping keep patients supplied with medications, vaccines, and products to help ease their discomfort.

Respiratory Season Relief with PrimeRx and PrimeRx MARKET

As pharmacists consider their role in the upcoming flu season, they can take comfort in knowing that technology-based solutions are available to help. The PrimeRx pharmacy management solution, for example, offers comprehensive workflow functionality that includes:

PrimeRx Market for Optimal Drug Pricing and Procurement. Pharmacies can ensure reliable access to medications, vaccines, OTC products and supplies at the best possible prices through the PrimeRx MARKET online marketplace. PrimeRx MARKET provides direct access to more than 40 wholesalers and suppliers, and the ability to check inventory and pricing in a matter of seconds.

The solution generates a side-by-side comparison of all suppliers that have a particular medication in stock and the associated pricing. A pharmacist can quickly compare each supplier’s pricing and make the best decision for their patients’ needs. This eliminates the time-consuming task of manually looking up each supplier’s pricing and placing orders with multiple suppliers. Now, the requested information is available in real-time, with orders submitted directly within the PrimeRx MARKET workflow.

Automated Reporting. The PrimeRx management system seamlessly transmits immunization information to the appropriate Immunization Information System.

Inventory Management. PrimeRx seamlessly manages the pharmacy’s inventory and automatically reorders vaccines and medications when a pre-set level is reached. The system captures specific product information including batch number, manufacturer, and expiration date.

Patient Records. Pharmacists can maintain extensive records about a patient’s health that allow better visibility when formulating a treatment plan. PrimeRx automatically updates patient records each time a prescription is filled or an immunization administered. The pharmacist can record notes and observations after each visit, include information about supplement and OTC product usage, and capture information about family history and other important details. And critical for good recordkeeping, the system captures all patient signatures and receipts for each transaction. All records are securely stored and easily accessible.

Claims Processing. Immunization claims are seamlessly transmitted to the correct payer, with all accurate and relevant information automatically added. The system tracks each claim until a resolution is received.

Signature Capture. The system allows patients to sign for each immunization via a HIPAA-complaint signature capture tool. Signatures are added to each patient’s record, and easily accessible for any audit or payer request.

Communication. Pharmacies can generate texts and/or emails to patients with information about the importance of vaccines, and to let them know which vaccines are available at their local pharmacy.

Increased OTC and Consumer Goods Sales with Pointy. Consumers in need of a certain product can learn that their local pharmacy is a viable buying option when it shows up in a Google search. This is accomplished through the Pointy solution, which pharmacies can integrate with directly from the PrimeRx platform.

Pointy helps pharmacies appear in consumers’ searches through a small device that attaches to a point-of-sale barcode scanner. When a product is scanned, it is immediately added to a “Pointy Page” located on the pharmacy’s website. The pharmacy will then appear as a buying option for subsequent searches of that product.

Pharmacists can expect patient traffic to increase in coming weeks, as patients try to protect themselves with immunizations, and those already infected seek relief. The fall/winter months are always busy times in the pharmacy, but pharmacists can look to PrimeRx and PrimeRx MARKET for much-needed relief.