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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Implementation of a community pharmacy-based pre-exposure prophylaxis service: a novel model for pre-exposure prophylaxis care

Elyse L. Tung A B E , Annalisa Thomas A B , Allyson Eichner A B and Peter Shalit C D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group, 904 7th Avenue, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.

B University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Box 357630, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

C Peter Shalit MD and Associates, 901 Boren Avenue, Suite 850, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.

D University of Washington School of Medicine, Box 356523, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

E Corresponding author. Email: etung@kelley-ross.com

Sexual Health 15(6) 556-561 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH18084
Submitted: 24 April 2018  Accepted: 30 August 2018   Published: 7 November 2018

Abstract

Background: National guidelines for the provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce a person’s risk of acquiring HIV were made available in 2014. We created a pharmacist-managed HIV PrEP clinic in a community pharmacy setting at Kelley-Ross Pharmacy in Seattle, WA, USA. Methods: The clinic operates under a collaborative drug therapy agreement based on these guidelines. This allows pharmacists to initiate and manage tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine under the supervision of a physician medical director. Results: Between March 2015 and February 2018, 714 patients were evaluated and 695 (97.3%) initiated PrEP. Five hundred and thirteen (74%) patients began medication the same day as their initial appointment. Of the prescriptions filled in our pharmacy, 90% of patients had a mean proportion of days covered (PDC) greater than 80%, and 98% had a zero-dollar patient responsibility per month, including uninsured individuals. 19% of patients were lost to follow up, with an effective drop-out rate of 25%. Two hundred and seven diagnoses of sexually transmissible infections were made. There were no HIV seroconversions in the service. Conclusion: The pharmacist-managed PrEP clinic proved to be a successful alternative model of PrEP care, with high initiation rates and low drop-out and lost-to-follow-up rates. This may benefit individuals who do not access PrEP in traditional health care settings or where PrEP access is scarce. Financial sustainability of the model was dependent on the ability of pharmacists in the clinic to bill insurance plans for their services in accordance with Washington State legislative changes requiring commercial insurances to recognise pharmacists as providers.

Additional keywords: PrEP adherence, PrEP clinic, pharmacist-managed PrEP.


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