Professor Trent Twomey, National President
Collaborative whole-of-health-system effort, with pharmacists playing a key role, will be key to eliminating bloodborne viruses and STIs, writes Guild national president, Professor Trent Twomey.
In 2015, The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, wrote to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to pay tribute to its role in the implementation of the syringe exchange program to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-diseases in the early days of the HIV crisis.
Australia's longest serving High Court judge and pioneering AIDS campaigner, Justice Kirby noted the leadership of pharmacists against resistance from police, legal authorities, churches and many others. Leadership which saved lives.
Almost 10 years later, Australia under the leadership of Health Minister Mark Butler - is charting a path to eliminate bloodborne viruses and sexually transmitted infections as a public health challenge by 2030. Just six years from now. Something which was unimaginable in the early days Justice Kirby referenced.
To achieve this goal a collaborative whole-of-health-system effort will be critical with community pharmacy at the heart.
Community pharmacies are asking to be empowered to help do the heavy lifting on the Minister's admirable 2030 target: to be considered for the delivery of HIV-related treatment - both initiation and ongoing - and to be supported to provide this care to patients through the Australian Government HIV Treatment Access Scheme.
As recommended in the ninth national HIV strategy released this week, relaxing restrictions on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prescribing is an important step in improving the accessibility of HIV support.
Australia's more than 6000 community pharmacies are the most logical avenue through which to increase PrEP subscribing availability. Not only are community pharmacies highly accessible frontline healthcare providers and trusted by communities, the precedent of initiating treatment without a prescription is already in place in many states and territories.
Pharmacists have the expertise and procedures to initiate treatment. Authorising PrEP prescriptions within pharmacies is a pragmatic step to significantly increasing accessibility. In 2023, the number of people who had taken PrEP in the previous 12 months increased from 6,432 to 45,244. With increased accessibility and awareness, preventative options for HIV have the potential to play an even more significant role in elimination.
The strategy highlights the importance of the cost of services and treatments. The HIV Treatment Access Scheme, which sees treatment free-of-charge through government-funded hospital pharmacies should be extended to community pharmacy. Increasing the scope of funding to cover an increased range of preventative and treatment measures and access options will be critical to Australia achieving our HIV targets.
The Strategy highlights the need for cheaper and more accessible care with an emphasis on removing the stigma which surrounds HIV. Community pharmacies can deliver on both.
Australia's response to the AIDS crisis was world-leading. Minister Neal Blewett and opposition health spokesperson, Senator Dr Peter Baume worked together to develop a bi-partisan approach to save lives across the community. The launch of the ninth strategy is the opportunity to complete this work.
Community pharmacy has much more to offer in helping Australians live better lives with HIV. Like previous HIV strategies, the targets of the new strategy will only be met by the whole health system working together. Pharmacists are ready to work with other health professionals to get this done, including as prescribers of PrEP.
This article originally appeared in Australasian Journal of Pharmacy, the original article can be accessed at: https://ajp.com.au/in-depth/opinion/community-pharmacy-ready-to-play-leading-role-in-efforts-to-eliminate-hiv-by-2030/
