Evaluation of adherence to antiretroviral medications in a supermarket‐based community pharmacy

Abstract

IntroductionA critical aspect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection management and prevention is adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) medications. There are limited recent studies focused on the impact of community pharmacy interventions on ARV adherence; previous studies were conducted between 2004 and 2012 with more complicated regimens.ObjectivesThe primary objective was to compare the adherence rates for ARV medications for both HIV treatment and prevention in patients using HIV‐focused (HIV‐F) pharmacies compared with traditional (non‐HIV focused) pharmacies in a supermarket‐based community pharmacy. The secondary objectives were to determine which factors impact adherence rates as well as the demographic information of patients using HIV‐F pharmacies.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of de‐identified pharmacy dispensing data for patients filling ARV medications from October 2018 to July 2021 at a Safeway pharmacy in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. Patients 18 years and older who had fill records at a Safeway pharmacy in the DMV area of at least two 30‐day supplies of ARV medication were included. For all eligible patients, medication adherence was measured by assessing the proportion of days covered (PDC).ResultsOf the 1496 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 971 patients used an HIV‐F pharmacy. Overall, patients were predominantly male (78.9%) with a median age of 44 years. The median PDC score of HIV‐F pharmacies was higher than traditional pharmacies, but the difference was not statistically significant (97.1% vs. 96.6%, respectively, p = 0.2).ConclusionPatients using this regional division supermarket‐based community pharmacy have a high PDC score regardless of pharmacy type. Use of newer ARV agents may have facilitated patients' adherence and diminished the potential benefit of utilizing HIV‐F pharmacies. Pharmacies currently providing specialized patient care for ARV medications may need to re‐evaluate how best to promote medication adherence.