MYDAWA, Kenya’s e-Pharmacy Startup Announces Telehealth Platform to Help Prevent HIV

The first telehealth program in Kenya specifically designed for HIV prevention has been made available through the e-pharmacy platform MYDAWA.

The University of Washington, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Centre, Jhpiego, and Audere have joined forces with MYDAWA to create the first end-to-end virtual healthcare solution for customers who want to access Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) online. This work has been made possible thanks to funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The pharmaceutical company won a US$1.2 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last year to use with its e-pharmacy strategy to increase access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medications, assisting Kenya’s HIV/AIDS fight.

The funding of US$1.2 million, according to the business, “aims to create evidence on virtual PrEP and PEP service delivery.” The Kenya Medical Research Institute and the University of Washington have approved the service for research.

This funding is a testament to MYDAWA’s capabilities and to the critical role the company is currently playing in advancing access to straightforward, reasonably priced, and widely available sexual and reproductive health products.

People who are continuously at risk of contracting HIV can take PrEP on a daily basis. PEP is a medication that can be given by persons as soon as they suspect they may have been exposed to HIV to lower their chance of contracting the virus.

Nearly 21 million of the estimated 38 million HIV-positive individuals worldwide reside in Eastern and Southern Africa.

One of the main obstacles to the widespread use of PrEP has been the stigma attached to HIV and the requirement to attend an HIV clinic for PrEP. This is especially clear in groups that are subject to stigma, such males who have sex with men and female sex workers. This difficult atmosphere for combating HIV made it easier to look for an alternate strategy for starting PrEP through more covert online channels.

MYDAWA is thrilled to provide a service that helps lower the prevalence of HIV in Kenya and guarantee that MYDAWA’s clients have access to a wide selection of high-quality health and wellness goods and services.