Four pharmacy companies merged under Avita, an already-existing organization that provides pharmacy services to many federal HIV programs and AIDS service organizations. In addition to HIV treatment, Avita specializes in services related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, taken to prevent HIV), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the LGBTQ community and the 340B drug pricing program.

We are excited to introduce you to the new Avita! Uniting under our new brand are four pharmacy companies (Longs...

Posted by Avita on Thursday, March 11, 2021

The new Avita pharmacy—complete with a new logo—results from the merger of Longs Pharmacy Solutions/Avita Pharmacy, Paramount Specialty Pharmacy, PharmBlue and PharMedQuest, according to an Avita press release.

“We provide high-touch pharmacy services, and we advocate for communities that are disproportionately affected by complex health conditions and limited access to health care resources,” Lorrie Carr, Avita’s CEO, said in the announcement.

“I am so proud that we built our brand around our core values, which celebrate our commitment to compassionate care for our patients, our covered entity partners and for each other,” she continued. “At Avita, we share a sense of community, and we treat and respect our patients as individuals because we believe everyone should have the care they need, delivered with the compassion they deserve.”

Among other services, Avita delivers medications, offers access to pharmacists and helps people synchronize their medications and address issues that impede adherence to their meds. Avita also helps clients navigate the federal 340B Drug discount and safety net program that helps health centers, such as Ryan White HIV clinics, save money on medications and provide care to the uninsured and underinsured.

Before the merger, Avita had already been participating in a national HIV prevention program that provides PrEP, currently available as daily tablets Truvada or Descovy for people at risk of contracting HIV. For more on the program, read “5,000 Walmart Pharmacies Join National ‘Ready, Set, PrEP’ HIV Program.” And for a related POZ article, see “Unraveling the Mystery of U.S. Drug Pricing”

We’ve come a long way since the early epidemic, when an HIV diagnosis was considered a death sentence. Today, many safe and effective treatments are available for HIV; many are easy to take and come with few side effects. To learn more, see HIV Medications, Starting HIV Treatment and HIV Drug Assistance Programs, which are just three of the many sections in our HIV Basics.