Much research has been done on the effectiveness of expanding syringe access as a method of HIV prevention. Although the majority of studies have examined syringe exchange programs, there are a significant number of studies that have examined pharmacy sales of syringes without a prescription. Much of this research was gathered in a 2002 supplement to the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association (JAPhA). Articles include information on:

• Community syringe disposal
• Syringe-related laws
• Pharmacists' attitudes about selling syringes to IDUs
• Understanding pharmacy regulations
• Promoting and evaluating pharmacy sale of syringes

The supplement may be downloaded here: Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Supp. 12.

Additional resources may be found among the materials for New York State’s Expanded Syringe Access Program, including an Annotated Bibliography of Published Articles and Resource Materials Related to Syringe Access Programs (PDF – 242 KB).

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has produced guidelines for evidence-based HIV prevention with IDUs, and its website, Prevention Among Injection Drug Users provides links to additional research-related resources. A Comprehensive Approach: Preventing Blood-Borne Infections Among Injection Drug Users (PDF – 2.48 MB, 76 pages) may be downloaded at the site; free copies can also be ordered through the CDC website.

A compendium of recent research on IDUs is available through the Medical Advocates/ADAP Fund website, Marginalized People Web.