The NPA is calling on Public Health England (PHE) to address ‘discrepancies’ in its guidance on Covid-19 antibody testing and give pharmacists permission to carry out the tests.
The body said it disputed PHE’s current view that there is ‘no evidence’ to support the suitability of rapid point of care tests for diagnosing Covid-19 infection in the community.
It added that the NHS itself is now offering antibody tests to a limited population – specifically within social care in England - with patients taking a finger prick blood sample themselves.
Pharmacies should therefore be allowed to offer tests, providing they comply with the relevant regulations from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the NPA said.
Olivier Picard, NPA board member, said: ‘We now have a situation where the public can take a sample themselves in their own home and find out whether they have Covid-19 antibodies, but a qualified pharmacist cannot administer a test within a registered pharmacy.
‘This inconsistency makes no sense and its time Public Health England updated its guidance to catch up with the facts on the ground.’
He added: ‘Community pharmacists are well placed to give the right personal advice and support following a test, and to reinforce Covid-19 public health messages.
‘Pharmacists would remind anyone testing positive that a positive test result does not mean you are immune from the virus. What’s more, these tests can help the NHS learn more about who’s had the virus and how it has spread.’
Earlier this year, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) advised pharmacy teams not to offer the tests. The regulator said that in light of PHE guidance, it was ‘not appropriate’ to be selling or recommending rapid antibody tests in community pharmacies ‘at this point in time’.
This prompted Graham Thoms, chief executive of Pharmadoctor – which was distributing the tests to pharmacies – to write to the GPhC, expressing concerns that the use of reliable antibody tests was being ‘stifled to the detriment of healthcare professionals and the public’.
The NPA said that it has been in discussions with the regulator, DHSC, MHRA, PHE and test manufacturers about antibody testing in community pharmacy over the last four months.
Have your say
Please add your comment in the box below. You can include links, but HTML is not permitted. Please note that comments are not moderated before publication and the views expressed are those of the user and do not reflect the views of The Pharmacist. Remember that submission of comments is governed by our Terms and Conditions. You can also read our full guidelines on article comments here – but please be aware that you are legally liable for any libellous or offensive comments that you make. If you have a complaint about a comment or are concerned that a comment breaches our terms and conditions, please use the ‘Report this comment’ function to alert our web team.