AxessPointe Pharmacy strives to offer innovative clinical services for the Greater Akron community. While this has always been our mission, the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the ability for pharmacists to play a role in expanding access to healthcare to patients, especially in underserved areas. AxessPointe Pharmacy is excited to announce two new services available for our patients, HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Hepatitis C treatment.
HIV PrEP is indicated for patients who identify as high-risk for acquisition of HIV. Medication for PrEP is over 99% effective at protecting people at risk of acquiring HIV from sex and at least 74% effective for people who inject drugs if they are taking medication as prescribed. PrEP availability has improved with the advent of the CDC’s ‘Let’s stop HIV Campaign’, but PrEP uptake has not increased comparatively. Although HIV PrEP awareness is consistent across races, Black and Hispanic communities are less likely to use PrEP compared to White communities.
Hepatitis C is a contagious virus that is spread primarily through blood-to-blood contact. If untreated, Hepatitis C can cause severe liver damage that could develop to liver cancer or necessitate liver transplant. New treatments for Hepatitis C have cure rates of 95% or higher. It is estimated that over 90% of people living with Hepatitis C could be cured with appropriate treatment. There is a shortage of infectious disease specialists who manage Hepatitis C because of the pandemic resulting in patients in underserved communities waiting months to initiate treatment.
Because of the clear need for HIV PrEP and Hepatitis C treatment in our community, AxessPointe Pharmacy is excited to announce that we are now offering these services to our patients. We are prioritizing these patients and eager to get them initiated on efficacious medication therapy. Our pharmacists will address any cost concerns for these medications and can provide flexible monitoring of these medications including telehealth visits. To learn more about Hepatitis C and HIV PrEP treatment, please reach out to the pharmacy team at (330)785-2054.
