Easier access to hormonal birth control at local pharmacies
Official title: Hormonal contraceptive Access via Pharmacist-Prescribing Implementation package (HAPPI)
Funded at Empowerx, INC. · NIH-11193202 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Tools and an app to help community pharmacists offer hormonal birth control more easily for people who want reliable contraception.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Empowerx, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Del Mar, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | September 29, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $930,624 |
| NIH project number | 5R44DP006691-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193202 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people of reproductive age seeking hormonal birth control who prefer pharmacy-based access or have trouble getting clinic appointments.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot or prefer not to use hormonal contraception, those seeking long-acting devices like IUDs or implants, or those in areas where pharmacists are not authorized to prescribe may not benefit.
What this research studies
You and your local pharmacists would help shape a new app and online toolkit that supports pharmacist-prescribed hormonal birth control. The team will use co-design methods with patients and community pharmacists to create prototypes, then run development, evaluation, and implementation phases. They will pilot the software in community pharmacies and build a web-based community of practice so pharmacists can learn from each other. User feedback from patients and pharmacists will guide improvements to make the service fit real-world pharmacy workflows.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it quicker and easier to get hormonal contraception at community pharmacies, reducing barriers to timely birth control.
How similar studies have gone: Pharmacist-prescribing programs in several states have already improved contraception access, though this specific app-and-toolkit approach is a newer implementation being piloted.
Where this research is happening
-
Empowerx, INC.
Del Mar, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rafie, Sally — Empowerx, INC.
- Study coordinator: Rafie, Sally
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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PEP/PrEP access via pharmacist-prescribing by community pharmacists
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Preparing Pharmacists for Public Health Services (PrePPS)
A software tool helps community pharmacists learn and apply up-to-date public health services so they can better support prevention and care for patients.
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Improving access to hormonal contraception through pharmacist prescribing.
This study is working to make it easier for people to get reliable birth control by allowing pharmacists to prescribe it, and they're creating helpful tools to support pharmacists and patients in this process.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.