Dalhousie University pilot project expands PrEP prescriptions to N.S. pharmacies

A Dalhousie University pilot project being run through the College of Pharmacies is aiming to improve access to PrEP, a pre-exposure medication for HIV.

“It’s a medication that high-risk groups can use to prevent HIV transmission within the community,” said Dr. Wilby, a Dalhousie University associate professor with the College of Pharmacy, and lead to the PrEP RX pilot project.

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“Currently you can only receive PrEP from a physician or a nurse practitioner,” said Wilby. “With a shortage of primary care providers in Nova Scotia, we’re really trying to bring it into pharmacies, because pharmacies are in the communities.”

The project is being funded by Shoppers Drug Mart through an unrestricted research grant. It officially launched on Monday and runs for six months.

Through the pilot, 50 patients will be able to obtain PrEP medication from a pharmacist. The pharmacists will also work the with Halifax Sexual Health Centre on bloodwork monitoring, Wilby said.

“So the patient is not just going to get the medication but they’re going to get a full spectrum of care.”

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Part of the project’s goal is to help reach populations that are harder to reach through the traditional health-care system which includes those who are new to Nova Scotia, people who inject drugs and members of the 2SLGTBQ+ community.

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“I do a lot of research with the 2SLGTBQ+ community in particular and many times we hear, based on past experiences, of stigma or discrimination in the health care system,” said Wilby, who also noted that even simple things like microaggressions can take a toll on individuals and can lead to people delaying or avoiding medical care.

“What we’re finding is that patients really do like pharmacies, they’re in our neighborhoods, they’re quite convenient, and so we could hopefully overcome that stigma and offer them a good experience and link them to care when they need care.”

The project is still seeking patients to take part in the project and those interested can email preprx@dal.ca.