RxPATROL: a Web-based tool for combating pharmacy theft.

OBJECTIVE: To report the incidence of pharmacy-related burglaries and robberies and characteristics of pharmacies where such crimes have occurred using recent data from Rx Pattern Analysis Tracking Robberies & Other Losses (RxPATROL), a national Web-based information clearinghouse on pharmacy-related theft of prescription medications and over-the-counter products. DESIGN: Descriptive, nonexperimental study. SETTING: United States between 2005 and 2006. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of pharmacy theft reports received; incident type, date, and location; point of entry; and pharmacy security features. RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2006, 202 pharmacy burglary and 299 pharmacy robbery reports from 45 different states were filed with RxPATROL. More than 70% of pharmacies reporting such crimes lacked a security camera. Among those reporting a burglary, 60% lacked dead bolt locks, a solid exterior door, a motion detector device, or a safe or vault for storage of controlled substances. Burglars most often obtained access to the pharmacy via the front door. CONCLUSION: RxPATROL is a Web-based tool that can assist pharmacies and law enforcement in collaborating more effectively to combat and prevent pharmacy-related crimes.

Evaluation of the safety of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in children and adolescents with asthma and high-risk conditions: a population-based prospective cohort study conducted in England with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in children in high-risk groups. DESIGN: Non-interventional cohort study. SETTING: England during 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 influenza seasons. PARTICIPANTS: LAIV recipients identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, aged 2-17 years, and with at least one underlying high-risk condition. LAIV recipients were matched with inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) recipients and unvaccinated controls. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary safety endpoints were any hospitalisation documented in the linked Hospital Episodes Statistics database within 42 days and up to 6 months after vaccination. RESULTS: 11 463 children and adolescents were included: 4718 received the trivalent LAIV formulation during the 2013-2014 influenza season and 6745 received the quadrivalent formulation during the 2014-2015 influenza season. The risks of hospitalisation within 42 days were 231 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 193 to 275) in season 2013-2014 and 231 (95% CI 198 to 267) in season 2014-2015. These risks were not significantly different when compared with matched unvaccinated children (relative risks (RR) 0.96 (95% CI 0.78 to 1.19) in season 2013-2014, 0.90 (95% CI 0.76 to 1.07) in season 2014-2015) and consistently lower than after IIV administration (RR 0.47 (95% CI: 0.37 to 0.59) in season 2013-2014, 0.42 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.51) in season 2014-2015). A similar pattern was observed up to 6 months postvaccination with a risk of hospitalisation after LAIV administration that did not differ from what was observed in unvaccinated controls and was lower than after IIV administration. CONCLUSIONS: This study did not identify new safety concerns associated with the administration of LAIV in children and adolescents with high-risk conditions. However, as with any other observational study, treatment administration was not randomly assigned and our findings may be confounded by differences between the groups at baseline. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: EUPAS18527.

Incidence of live-attenuated influenza vaccine administration beyond expiry date in children and adolescents aged 2-17 years in the UK: a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the proportion of live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) doses administered beyond expiry date in children and adolescents during influenza seasons 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 in the UK. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study. Two cohorts of children and adolescents who received LAIV from 1 September 2013 to 31 March 2014 and from 1 September 2014 to 31 March 2015 and aged 2-17 years at time of LAIV administration were identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). SETTING: More than 500 primary care practices in the UK. POPULATION: Proportions of vaccine doses administered beyond expiry date were assessed among 47 396 and 67 099 LAIV recipients with a documented vaccine lot identifier in influenza seasons 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, respectively. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Administrations of expired LAIV were ascertained by comparison of vaccination dates in CPRD records with expiration dates in AstraZeneca/MedImmune lot distribution data. RESULTS: Overall, 245 LAIV recipients, 80 in 2013-2014 and 165 in 2014-2015, received a dose after its expiration date, yielding proportion estimates of 1.7 per 1000 doses (95% CI 1.3 to 2.1) in season 2013-2014 and 2.5 per 1000 (95% CI 2.1 to 2.8) in season 2014-2015. This proportion increased above 1.0% after December during each season. Most (84% in influenza season 2013-2014 and 59% in influenza season 2014-2015) received an expired dose <30 days after its expiration date. The proportion was higher in London (relative risk 1.93 (95% CI 1.25 to 2.99)) and when the number of LAIV recipients registered in the practice was lower than the median number per practice (relative risk 2.69 (95% CI 1.99 to 3.62)). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of expired LAIV doses occurs infrequently.

Uptake of childhood influenza vaccine from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015 in the UK and the implications for high-risk children: a retrospective observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes in influenza vaccination rates in healthy and at-risk children following the implementation of the UK's childhood influenza immunisation programme. DESIGN: Observational cohort study before and after initiation of the UK's childhood influenza immunisation programme over three influenza seasons (2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015) using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). SETTING: More than 500 primary care practices in the UK. POPULATION: All individuals aged 2-17 years on 1 September, with at least 12 months of medical history documented in CPRD were retained in the analysis. INTERVENTION: Starting in 2013-2014, all children aged 2 and 3 years were offered influenza vaccination through general practice, and primary school-aged children were offered influenza vaccination in selected counties in England (described as pilot regions). The vaccination programme was extended to all children aged 4 years in England in 2014-2015. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cumulative vaccination rate from 1 September to 28 February of the next calendar year as assessed by a time-to-event statistical model (vaccination uptake). Age group, sex, region and type of high-risk medical condition were assessed as predictors. RESULTS: Vaccination uptake increased considerably from 2012-2013 to 2013-2014 in targeted children aged 2-3 years, both in children with a high-risk medical condition (from 40.7% to 61.1%) and those without (from 1.0% to 43.0%). Vaccination rates increased also, though less markedly, in older children. In 2014-2015, vaccination rates remained higher than 40% in healthy children aged 2-3 years, although they decreased slightly from 2013-2014 (from 43.0% to 41.8%). Vaccination rates in older healthy children continued to increase, driven primarily by an increase in children aged 4 years to 31.3% in 2014-2015. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of a universal childhood vaccination policy in the UK increased vaccination rates for targeted children, including those with high-risk conditions.