Pharmacy access to sterile syringes for injection drug users: attitudes of participants in a syringe exchange program.

OBJECTIVE: To examine attitudes of participants of a van-based syringe exchange program (SEP) toward the hypothetical prospect of pharmacy-based syringe access.

DESIGN: One-time, cross-sectional survey.

SETTING: Baltimore, Maryland.

PARTICIPANTS: 206 injection drug users who participate in the Baltimore SEP.

INTERVENTIONS: Face-to-face interviews.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Location preferred for obtaining syringes, drug and syringe use, past experience with pharmacies, and willingness to pay.

RESULTS: The sample was 67% men, 95% African American, and 95% unemployed; mean age was 39.8 years. A total of 19% of respondents had bought syringes at a pharmacy during the prior six months. Some 37% reported having been turned down when asking for syringes at a pharmacy, most commonly due to lack of identification to prove diabetic status (50%). If legal restrictions were lifted, 92% of respondents would obtain syringes from pharmacies, and would be willing to pay a mean price of $0.80 (median = $1.00) per syringe. Women were more likely than men to report the intention to switch from van-based SEP to pharmacy (57% versus 38%, p = .045).

CONCLUSION: If current legal restrictions were lifted, pharmacies would be a viable syringe source appealing particularly to women, suggesting gender-specific access issues that should be addressed. The per-syringe price that study participants would be willing to pay exceeds typical retail prices, suggesting that pharmacists could charge enough per syringe to recoup operational costs.