Kenyan health-tech startup MyDawa, an e-pharmacy platform, has launched a telehealth solution tailored to HIV prevention with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The end-to-end virtual healthcare solution gives customers access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) online.
MyDawa, founded in 2017, enables consumers to conveniently purchase authentic, high-quality medicines and health and wellness products through partnerships with healthcare practitioners and suppliers.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided $1.2 million in funding to the University of Washington, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Centre, Jhpiego, and Audere to develop the product.
PrEP is a medicine that can be proactively taken daily by people at ongoing risk of acquiring HIV. PEP is a medicine people can take immediately after possibly being exposed to HIV to reduce the risk of getting HIV. The Gates Foundation grant awarded to MYDAWA to launch the service aims to generate evidence on virtual PrEP and PEP services delivery.
According to Ministry of Health data, approximately 1.2 million Kenyans living with HIV and Aids are already taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to protect themselves from opportunistic infections.
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