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Hilda's Perinatal HIV Prevention Blog

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Baby RXpress Program

Nov 18

Written by: Hilda Leon
11/18/2009 10:48 PM 

Baby RXpress Program

All HIV exposed newborns should receive postpartum antiretroviral drugs to reduce perinatal HIV transmission. The 6-week neonatal ZDV chemoprophylaxis regimen should be initiated as close to the time of birth as possible, preferably within 6 to 12 hours of delivery. The recommended dose of ZDV in full-term infants is 2 mg/kg body weight orally every 6 hours for the first 6 weeks of life. 1
 
Once discharged from the hospital, the ZDV regimen must be continued uninterrupted. This can present an overwhelming challenge for some families. To address this challenge, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) has a program to provide a 6-week supply of ZDV (Retrovir, AZT) for HIV-exposed newborns, at no cost to the family, if they have no other means to pay for the medication. In the first 11 months of the program, 87 babies benefited from this program for a total cost of $2,289.49. According to Nita Harrelle, Florida Department of Health Linkage Team Leader and Perinatal Prevention Coordinator, this is money well spent.
 
The goal of Baby RXpress is for the mother to leave the hospital with the medication in hand. There are currently effective protocols in place throughout the state that use home or hospital delivery pharmacies and outpatient hospital pharmacies. If you have an existing procedure in place, continue to use it.
 
Baby RXpress Protocol:
  • DOH has an account at previously identified Walgreens stores throughout Florida.
  • The physician writes a prescription for ZDV based on the infant’s weight.
  • The perinatal nurse working with the family provides a payment voucher.
  • The perinatal nurse, their designee, or the family presents the prescription and the payment voucher to Walgreens.
  • If the nurse gives the voucher to the family, the nurse should sign it under "authorization signature."
  • The pharmacist dispenses a 6-week supply of ZDV in exchange for the voucher.
  • Walgreens will bill DOH directly for the medication.
  • The voucher will only cover the cost of the 6-week supply of the ZDV (Retrovir, AZT).
Use Baby RXpress when there is no other option. This plan is the payer of last resort to provide AZT for the babies quickly, for families that do not have insurance or money to pay for the medicine. Click here for a list of participating Walgreen Pharmacies.
 
Please direct questions regarding the Baby RXpress Program to Nita Harrelle at
 
This blog was adapted from information provided by the Florida Department of Health, Perinatal Prevention Program.
 

] Perinatal HIV Guidelines Working Group. Public Health Service Task Force Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant HIV-infected Women for Maternal Health and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States. , 2009; pp. 75-76. Available at http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/PerinatalGL.pdf

 

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