HIV PrEP Explained: Critical Prevention Opportunity

 via AIDS Treatment News, by John S. James

This is an excellent summary of the iPrEx trial that showed Truvada could protect against HIV in gay men. Additionally, it analyzes the implications of the study in a very clear, thoughtful manner.

Excerpt:

Since doctors can legally prescribe Truvada for prevention now, the U.S. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in January 2011 published interim guidance for physicians who want to use it to prevent HIV infection in high-risk HIV-negative men who have sex with men.[6,7]. Guidance will change as more information becomes available from other studies currently ongoing.

The main obstacle now is the price. Gilead Sciences, which holds the patent on Truvada, charges about 100 times as much for Truvada in the U.S., as other companies charge profitably for the same generic medicine in countries where Gilead's patent does not apply. And unless the FDA approves a formal "indication" for prevention use, insurance is unlikely to pay. This means that you can get Truvada for prevention in the U.S. today -- if you have over $12,900 per year to spend out of pocket -- or possibly, very good health insurance. (Gilead raised the price early in April, 2011; on April 18 we checked retail prices on Drugstore.com, which offers 90 once-daily pills for $3,180,90.)

Clearly PrEP will not be used enough to impact the epidemic, if individuals must pay so much out of pocket. (Just taking a $35 pill before sex is not expected to work. The body must convert both drugs into their active forms, which takes time.

Read the rest.


[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]