Ontario pharmacists will be able to administer more vaccines

The Government of Ontario is expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists, allowing them to administer more publicly funded vaccines and prescribe treatments for additional common ailments, starting in July.

The province says the changes are aimed at improving access to care, reducing wait times, and easing pressure on doctors’ offices and emergency departments by allowing pharmacists to provide more services closer to home.

Beginning in July, pharmacists will be able to administer six additional publicly funded vaccines for eligible Ontarians:

• Tetanus
• Pertussis
• Diphtheria
• Pneumococcal
• RSV
• Shingles vaccines

Currently, these vaccines are generally available only through doctors’ offices, walk-in clinics, or other clinical settings. Under the expanded rules, eligible patients will also be able to receive them at participating pharmacies across Ontario.

The province is also expanding the list of common ailments pharmacists can assess and prescribe treatment for. Starting in July, pharmacists will be able to treat nine additional conditions:

• Calluses and corns
• Dandruff
• Dry eye
• Head lice
• Jock itch
• Mild headache
• Nasal congestion
• Ringworm
• Warts

Ontario says the latest expansion builds on the pharmacist prescribing program launched in 2023, which has already resulted in more than 2.4 million assessments for common ailments provincewide.

The government also announced it has directed several other health regulatory colleges, including those representing optometrists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, dental hygienists, denturists, and audiologists and speech-language pathologists, to begin developing frameworks for future scope-of-practice expansions.

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