Stop stalling and make PrEP for HIV available now
BMJ 2016; 353 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i3160 (Published 06 June 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i3160
- Deborah Gold, chief executive
- NAT (National AIDS Trust), London EC1V 9FR, UK
- Deborah.gold{at}nat.org.uk
Compelling evidence of the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV has been available for over five years. But we are still waiting for the NHS to embrace this potentially revolutionary intervention.
Truvada, a combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir usually used to treat HIV, can also prevent HIV infection. PrEP could at last mean real headway in reducing the transmission of HIV, with the number of newly diagnosed people unchanged in the UK for the past decade.1
In November 2010, the iPrEX (pre-exposure prophylaxis initiative) trial found efficacy of 92% among those who took PrEP as prescribed.2 Subsequent studies have confirmed its efficacy and its effectiveness. One of the most recent is the UK’s PROUD (pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection) study, which looked at the …
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