San Francisco-based sexual health telemedicine platform Nurx has launched in Wisconsin.
Founded in 2015, the company offers on-demand birth control prescription and delivery via its app. The early-stage company, which raised a $36 million Series B funding round from investors in July, is now in 18 states and Washington, D.C.
Nurx offers free online consultation with health professionals who can prescribe more than 50 birth control brands, as well as HIV prevention prescriptions, with or without insurance coverage. The medications are shipped free to the user’s home.
The startup has formed a pharmacy with a network of physician partners who operate via a mobile telehealth app. It now has physician partners in Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, the company says its model offers options to residents in urban and rural areas with limited access to reproductive care, which it called “contraceptive deserts.”
One of the medications offered is pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a daily pill for HIV prevention. Nurx pointed to the fact that in 2017, HIV cases increased 13 percent in Milwaukee.
“We know that comprehensive education and PrEP access can significantly reduce new HIV infection rates,” said Jessica Horwitz, clinical development lead at Nurx. “Access to quality medical care is a basic human right and that includes access to these life-saving medications, regardless of where you live.”
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, who became a director at Nurx in July, has praised its mission.
“By putting individuals in control of their personal health, and by starting with critical health needs like birth control and HIV prevention, Nurx is well-positioned to make a difference in the lives of countless Americans,” Clinton said. “I’m delighted to join their board, and excited to help them empower people to build better futures for themselves and realize a vision of accessible, affordable care for all.”
