Willingness to pay for HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis services delivered via an online pharmacy in Kenya

Michalina A Montaño; Yilin Chen; Enrique M Saldarriaga; Nicholas Thuo; Catherine Kiptinness; Andy Stergachis; Melissa L Mugambi; Kenneth Ngure; Katrina F Ortblad; Monisha Sharma

doi:10.1186/s12913-025-12766-x

Willingness to pay for HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis services delivered via an online pharmacy in Kenya

BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 Apr 22;25(1):576. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12766-x.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division (VIDD), Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, USA. mmontano@fredhutch.org.
² The Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (CHOICE) Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
³ Partners in Health and Research Development, Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Thika, Kenya.
⁴ Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
⁵ School of Public Health, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja, Kenya.
⁶ Public Health Science Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, USA.

Abstract

Background: HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) provision via online pharmacies could expand reach of HIV prevention in Eastern and Southern Africa, but designing sustainable delivery models will require assessing the amount potential users are willing to pay for online PrEP/PEP provision.

Methods: We administered willingness to pay (WTP) questionnaires to both potential online PrEP users and current online PrEP/PEP users in Nairobi, Kenya using a stated preference approach to measure the amount participants were willing to pay for PrEP/PEP service delivery components. Participants ≥ 18 years were recruited via banner ads on an online pharmacy website on pages displaying sexual health products. We used multivariable gamma regression models to assess characteristics associated with differences in mean WTP for a 30-day PrEP or 28-day PEP course (including HIV self-testing, remote clinical consultation, drugs, and delivery fees).

Results: From May 2022 and December 2023, 1,512 participants completed WTP questionnaires: 772 potential online PrEP users and 740 current online PrEP/PEP users. Most participants (98.3%, 1486/1,512) were willing to pay some amount for online PrEP services. For a one-month PrEP supply, potential online PrEP users were willing to pay 1388 KSH ($11.77 USD) and current online PrEP/PEP users were willing to pay 1271.2 KSH ($10.77 USD) on average. Most current online PrEP/PEP users (81.4%, 602/740) were also willing to pay for online PEP services; for a 28-day PEP supply, they were willing to pay 812.9 KSH ($6.89 USD) on average. Among potential online PrEP users, male sex, current enrollment in school, high income, and a history of online pharmacy purchases were associated with higher WTP for PrEP. Among current online PrEP/PEP users, higher income and prior online pharmacy purchases were associated with higher WTP for PrEP, and older age (> 24) and prior online pharmacy purchases were associated with higher WTP for PEP.

Conclusion: Most potential and current online PrEP/PEP users in Nairobi were willing to pay for online pharmacy-based PrEP/PEP and demonstrated similar WTP. Providing PrEP/PEP through online pharmacies may sustainably expand coverage of these HIV prevention services.

Keywords: HIV prevention; Online delivery; PEP; Pharmacies; PrEP; Willingness to pay.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Female
Financing, Personal*
HIV Infections* / prevention & control
Humans
Kenya
Male
Middle Aged
Pharmaceutical Services, Online* / economics
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis* / economics
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis* / economics
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult

Abstract

MeSH terms

Grants and funding