Some Arizona ADAP
clients run out of medications

Some HIV-positive Arizona residents of Maricopa and Pinal counties who rely on the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program for their antiretroviral medications recently found themselves running out of pills due to an error at the state health department, The Arizona Republic reports. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health had in the past directly dispensed anti-HIV drugs to ADAP clients in Phoenix and Pinal County but last year opted to work with an outside contractor, Apothecary Shops, to dispense the medications. However, snags in transferring patient records delayed switching the drug program from its planned April 1 rollout to May 31, and even after that point some HIV patients were unable to get medication refills from either the health department or Apothecary Shops and ran out of drugs.

Beginning this week, HIV patients in the two counties were able to access emergency supplies from the Apothecary Shop in Tucson. ADAP clients running out of medications also can contact Apothecary Shops directly at (866) 881-4902 to ensure that they don't miss doses of their lifesaving antiretroviral drugs. (The Advocate)