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Pharmacy access to ulipristal acetate in Hawaii: is a prescription enough?
Holly Bullock1, Sarah Steele1, Nicole Kurata1
1University of Hawai'i at Manoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, 1319 Punahou St, Suite 824, Honolulu, HI 96826.
Objective:
To determine pharmacy availability of ulipristal acetate (UPA) and compare to availability of levonorgestrel-containing emergency contraceptive pills (LNG-ECPs).
Methods:
We conducted an observational population-based study utilizing a telephone-based secret shopper methodology. Researchers called all 198 unique retail pharmacies in Hawaii on December 2013-June 2014, representing themselves as patients and physicians.
Results:
Only 2.6% of pharmacies had UPA immediately available, though 22.8% reported ability to order UPA. In contrast, 82.4% reported immediate availability of LNG-ECPs. No significant difference in availability was reported to patients and physicians.
Conclusions:
Availability of UPA is limited and significantly lower compared to LNG-ECPs. The study period did overlap with a change in distributor for UPA, likely capturing some disruption of the supply chain.
Implications:
Systems-based interventions are needed to address barriers to obtaining UPA.
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