05 Aug Deciding about PrEP for HIV prevention

Antiretroviral drugs are proven to prevent people from acquiring HIV. The effectiveness of this pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in clinical trials now is being put to the test in real world settings, with excellent results presented at the recent AIDS 2015 conference in Vancouver. This paper examines the key issues facing decision-makers about the place of PrEP in national strategies to end AIDS. These include price, cost-effectiveness, regulatory issues, advocacy for access, and ethical concerns. PrEP can contribute significantly to a country’s HIV response if programmes are tailored to those who need it most and if current regulatory and pricing barriers can be overcome. Individuals will benefit from protection during periods of higher risk in their lives and the population as a whole will benefit as HIV transmission slows. This is a must-read paper for policy makers and programme managers who plan to position PrEP well for optimal impact in their countries.

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