Updated at 2:34 p.m.
WAKEFIELD – Green Line Apothecary, site of a pharmacy and traditional soda fountain, announced it will be the first pharmacy in the nation to offer on-site antibiotic treatment in order to reduce the risk of Lyme disease infection.
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The pharmacy will work with a collaborative practice agreement with infectious disease specialist Frederic Silverblatt and University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy clinical associate professor Anita Jacobson to administer single doses of doxycycline.
To be eligible for the treatment, patients must have had a tick attached for at least 36 hours, and removed said tick less than 72 hours prior to treatment.
“Due to the time-sensitivity of treatment, community pharmacies like Green Line are an ideal practice location,” Jacobson said, “If a tick is removed on Friday and it’s a holiday weekend, the patient cannot wait until Tuesday to receive the antibiotic. The availability and convenience of a pharmacy setting plays an important role in the timely administration of this potentially preventative treatment.”
Green line will host a Lyme disease educational event called Lime Rickeys for Lyme Disease on June 22 from 5-8 p.m., serving free non alcoholic lime Rickey’s while discussing tick identification, removal, and signs and symptoms of Lyme disease.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the preventative antibiotic treatment for Lyme has a relative risk reduction of 87 percent.
“I am proud that Green Line Apothecary is on the front lines of the fight against Lyme disease,” added Green Line Apothecary owner and pharmacist Christina Procaccianti. “I see the devastating effects of Lyme disease first-hand from my patients.”
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
