PHARMACOEQUITY

To raise awareness that disparities in clinical practice negatively impact healthcare outcomes and compromise pharmacoequity; further, 

To recognize the impact of social determinants of health on pharmacoequity and patient outcomes; further,

To advocate for drug availability, drug pricing structures, pricing transparency, and insurance coverage determinations that promote pharmacoequity; further,

To advocate that the pharmacy workforce identify and address risks and vulnerabilities to pharmacoequity as part of comprehensive medication management services; further, 

To advocate for resources, including technology, that improve access to care for marginalized and underserved populations where pharmacy access is limited; further, 

To encourage the pharmacy workforce to identify and mitigate biases in healthcare decision-making that compromise pharmacoequity.

Rationale

Pharmacoequity aims to ensure that all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status or availability of resources, have access to the highest quality medications required to manage their health needs. Barriers contributing to the lack of pharmacoequity include decreased access to care, increased costs of care, and differences in care based on provider bias (Essien UR, Dusetzina SB, Gellad WF. A policy prescription for reducing health disparities—achieving Pharmacoequity. JAMA. 2021;326(18):1793. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.17764). These barriers have helped raise awareness of the ABCs of solutions for promoting pharmacoequity: access, bias, and costs.

Decreased access to care may be due to insufficient prescription drug coverage or residing in a pharmacy desert. The current trends in the price of prescription drugs, combined with lack of insurance or underinsurance, results in lower use of prescribed medications and nonadherence.

Ensuring that all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status or availability of resources, have access to the highest quality medications required to meet their needs will require a multifaceted approach. Promotion of culturally competent structures through increased awareness of disparities, in addition to improving medication affordability and pharmacy access, are all steps needed to attain pharmacoequity.