Pharmacies across the globe have the potential to vaccinate at least 940 million people - equating to one eighth of the world population according to new research commissioned by the International Pharmaceutical Federation.
The survey of 45 countries, conducted by the FIP Collaborating Centre at Univesity College London, found that 44% had community pharmacy premises offering vaccinations, "demonstrating the expansion and growing acceptance of pharmacy immunisation services around the world".
FIP said an increasing number of jurisdictions are introducing immunisation rights specifically for pharmacists - and in 13 of the 45 countries pharmacists themselves have the authority to administer vaccines "and therefor the potential to reach 655 million, the researchers estimated.
A report summarising the research was released overnight at the 76th annual World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in in Buenos Aires, and can be accessed at via the FIP website at www.fip.org.
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