Evaluation of Vaccine Effectiveness and the Pharmaceutical Service in the Puglia Region of Italy

Abstract ID 128939 Poster Board 205 A monocentric observational study was performed to evaluate the vaccine safety and the pharmaceutical service provided at a community pharmacy in the Puglia Region (1). The data were collected from N=550 patients of various ages and sexes and with concomitant diseases from 29 December 2021 to 12 March 2022. We collected anamnestic data, the number of hospitalizations, and any post-vaccination adverse reactions. Interviews using the integrated EQ5 method were also performed to evaluate the quality of the service offered and any therapy preference. As expected, the vaccines were reactogenic after the first dose in the patients with mild–moderate reactions, with younger age and female gender as risk factors. Immune-allergic reactions of a moderate–severe degree were observed in adult females. In the elderly, the vaccination was well tolerated. Comirnaty® showed a favorable O.R. < 1 vs. other vaccines. No cardiovascular events or increased rate of hospitalizations were observed up to May 2023 following vaccination. Regional data indicate that all treatments during May 2023 were correlated with the viremia trend. Paxlovid TM was prescribed in 3% of the patients in our center and 1.46% in the region, and distributed/dispensed on behalf of third parties by a novel distribution/dispensation protocol involving the regional Pharmaceutical Service and the Community Pharmacy with best practice. The drug is however under-prescribed possibly because of the widely reported "rebound" phenomenon linked with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir that is described as the return of symptoms and test positivity a few days after completing treatment and appearing to have recovered, unfamiliarity with the treatment, and cost might all be contributing to underuse. Case reports of rebound were observed in our centers; rebound signs and symptoms were mild, and no hospitalizations were reported among those who experienced it. Clinicians also have confusion about who's at high risk for severe disease. The Community Pharmacy resulted in a safe vaccination center providing appropriate patient inclusion during vaccination and may have a relevant role in Paxlovid TM management. References 1. Dibenedetto, J.R.; Cetrone, M.; Antonacci, M.; Cannone, D.P.; Antonacci, S.; Bratta, P.; Leonetti, F.; Tricarico, D. The Community Pharmacy as a Study Center for the Epidemiological Analysis of the Population Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: Evaluation of Vaccine Safety and Pharmaceutical Service. Pharmacy 2024, 12, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy12010016.