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Seattle Pharmacy Releases Findings for One-Step PrEP® HIV Prevention Pilot Program
Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group proves model for delivering pharmacy-direct PrEP service to at-risk HIV community; presents findings at CDC National HIV Prevention Symposium
Seattle, Wash. – November 30, 2015 – In advance of World AIDS Day tomorrow, Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group has released preliminary findings and an awareness video for its One-Step PrEP® HIV prevention program. The 90-year old Seattle pharmacy launched the pilot program in March 2015 to remove obstacles, reduce stigma, and improve access to PrEP for individuals at high-risk for contracting HIV.
“We believe in meeting the needs of our community where they are,” said Kelley-Ross principal and CEO, Ryan Oftebro. “We are thrilled with the success of our One-Step-PrEP® program and believe it can help in the battle to eradicate HIV.”
PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis and it was approved by the CDC in July 2012 as a prevention option for people who are at high risk of getting HIV. It is a daily pill that has a proven 92 percent success rate in the prevention of HIV.
One-Step PrEP® is unique because it takes a two or three-week waiting process and condenses it to 45 minutes. Instead of making an appointment with a primary care physician, who may or may not be familiar with PrEP, waiting for labs, and navigating alone the complexity of insurance and/or state-funded medical coverage, patients come to the pharmacy and have a detailed conversation with a trained pharmacist about their risk factors and side effects, while lab results are processed and payment methods are researched.
Not only do patients walk away with PrEP much sooner, they often walk away much more informed.
Preliminary findings Kelley-Ross will deliver to the CDC include:
- No seroconversions (all patients remain HIV-negative)
- 97 percent of 129 seen in the clinic qualified for PrEP
- Monthly check-ins and refills result in better adherence to regimen
- Improved outcomes with immediate ability to address side-effects
- Patient interest in pharmacy-based PrEP continues to grow
- It is a sustainable model that can scale; break-even expected in less than 12-months
“In the fight against HIV, prevention is key,” said Elyse Tung-Wisner, the clinical pharmacist at Kelley-Ross behind the program and the key presenter of the findings with the CDC. “If we can improve access to PrEP we can change lives, and limit the number of new infections. When we do that in combination with others who are leading research, we will eventually end HIV.”
The full presentation will be shared at the CDC Symposium on December 8 and made available to the general public on Kelley-Ross’s HIV webpage at that time.
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About Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group (Kelley-Ross)
Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group is a 90-year old pharmacy focused on delivering the best care using the most innovative tools in the industry to help people live better lives. Divisions and services of the company include long-term care, mail order medication, retail, compounding, and foundation work including the Health Information Network. Other services include: pre-HIV medication prevention, travel medication, the Naloxone emergency overdose program, and various in-home non-dispensing clinical services. For more information visit kelley-ross.com
