Health Topics

• Women's Health
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• Men's Health
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• Infertility
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• Transplant Care
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• HIV/AIDS
• HIV/AIDS Clinical Services and Patient Support
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• Pain Management
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• Pediatrics
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HIV/AIDS

Specialty Pharmacy Services for HIV/AIDS Therapy

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a million people in the U.S alone are living with HIV infection. About 40,000 new diagnoses are made in this country every year, and 500,000 Americans have died of AIDS between 1981 and 2006. While those figures sound grim, it is important to recognize that today, people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. In fact, the CDC reports that between 2002 and 2005, the number of annual diagnoses and the number of annual deaths remained stable. However, statistics from 2006 showed that while the rate of new diagnoses remained stable, annual deaths decreased by about 12%. While it’s too early to tell if this trend will continue, it is promising news.

Because there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, disease management must focus on suppressing the virus, preventing its progression, and treating its complications and co-morbidities. Increased success in the treatment of HIV/AIDS is largely due to the use of new drug therapies that are more effective in achieving these goals. While people with HIV/AIDS are not suffering from certain complications—such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and AIDS wasting—at the rate they previously did, new co-morbidities and complications have arisen that must be addressed. People with HIV/AIDS suffer from renal disease and depression at a greater rate than the general public. This population also experiences co-morbidities such as liver disease, heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes. While many of these conditions are correlated with the advancing age of this population (25% are now over 50 years of age), some can be related to the polypharmacy that is keeping the disease itself from progressing. Furthermore, managing side effects remain a crucial aspect of treatment since self-imposed drug holidays continue to be problematic in the management of HIV/AIDS therapy.

At Apothecary by Design, HIV/AIDS pharmacy care is one of our specialties. Beyond filling your prescriptions, our expert team is on hand to help navigate the complexities of multiple medications and offer support throughout your treatment. Visit the link at left to see our full range of services.