Colorado Patients Can Now Get Preventative HIV Medications From Pharmacists

Posted: November 12, 2020

On Saturday, a new statewide protocol will be officially enacted making Colorado one of the first states to allow pharmacists to prescribe PrEP and PEP, preventative HIV medications. 

PReP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is more than 90 percent effective in preventing an HIV infection, and PEP, post-exposure prophylaxis, can reduce the risk of getting HIV after exposure by more than 80 percent — and yet the drugs are underused

“It's pretty well known that these drugs just aren't being used as much as they should,” said Emily Zadvorny, executive director at Colorado Pharmacists Society. “We don't know all the reasons why, but opening up another avenue of access to clinical care and these medications within communities, within trusted relationships, within a more flexible setting, that's really important in these situations, which can be a very timely situation that you need to get the medications.”

 

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