Access To Community Pharmacies Associated With Reduced Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Use Of Prescription Drugs,...

Racial and ethnic disparities in access to medicines persist across the US. Community pharmacies serve as critical access points for prescription drugs, yet their availability varies widely, potentially contributing to health disparities. We estimated the share of the population living within ten minutes of a community pharmacy across counties, by race and ethnicity, during the period 2010-23. We linked these measures to race and ethnicity-specific, state-level estimates of age- and prevalence-standardized medication use for twenty-seven health condition categories through 2019. A 1 percent increase in people living within ten minutes of a community pharmacy at the state level was associated with 0.7 percent higher use of medications per prevalent case. This association was strongest for Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and Hispanic populations. In addition, a 1 percent increase in ten-minute community pharmacy access was associated with a 0.52 percent decrease in racial and ethnic disparities in medication use. These findings suggest that uneven community pharmacy access may exacerbate racial and ethnic disparities in medication use. Policy makers seeking to improve medication access should consider targeted interventions to preserve or expand pharmacy availability for underserved communities.