Infectious Disease Medications - HIV, Hep C

ADAP - Arizona AIDS Drug Assistance Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 12, 2006
Contact: Julie Mystrom - Director of Marketing

LOCAL PHARMACY AWARDED STATE AIDS DRUG
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CONTRACT

Scottsdale, AZ – The Apothecary Shops, the Southwest’s foremost chain of independent pharmacies, announced today the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has awarded the company the vendor pharmacy contract for the Arizona AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP, administered by ADHS, provides access to medications used to treat HIV and prevent the onset of related opportunistic infections to low-income individuals with HIV disease who have limited or no coverage from private insurance or Medicaid.

“The Apothecary Shops are honored to have been chosen as the exclusive specialty provider for ADAP. We have always had a purposeful desire to provide world-class service to our patients, and we were happy to develop a program that will provide care to the thousands of individuals affected by HIV in our community,” said Dr. John D. Musil, Pharm.D., FACA, Owner and CEO of The Apothecary Shops.

The Apothecary Shops primary responsibility will be prescription order fulfillment to clients both inside and outside of Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. Additionally, the pharmacy will have a compliance monitoring program in place. Each patient will be called on a monthly basis as well as a week before their refills are due to verify there are no changes to the medications, to make sure the patient is not experiencing problems or side effects and to confirm their shipping address. This will increase adherence to the patient’s regimens and cut down on wasted medication, with the hopes of maintaining the cost effectiveness of the program.

“The Apothecary Shops regularly goes above and beyond in the service they provide to our clients. As a customer of The Apothecary Shops, I know my medication refills will be ready when promised and any physician or insurance company prior authorizations are taken care of promptly,” said David Gunton, Support Services Manager, Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF).

Working with the ADAP program and the HIV community is not new to The Apothecary Shops. The company has supported the program for several years, and since 1996 has been a provider of HIV pharmacy services. The pharmacies are an ADAP medication pick-up location site, and a company pharmacist serves on the ADAP formulary committee. Additionally, the company supports Body Positive and SAAF fundraisers.

The one-year contract with ADHS, renewable for four additional years, started April 1, 2006.

“The Apothecary Shops has long been committed to supporting services for People Living with HIV/AIDS beyond just dispensing of medication by supporting education and other client-centered services in the community,” said Brian Helander, RN, MHSA Executive Director, Body Positive.

In addition to being a full-service pharmacy, The Apothecary Shops has focused their practice on several specialty areas, including HIV. The pharmacists at The Apothecary Shops are trained to handle complex medical conditions such as cancer and solid organ transplants. Some of the other specialties include ophthalmology, infertility and hormone replacement therapy. The pharmacists and certified technical staff at all 11 locations are on the cutting edge of the pharmaceutical industry.