Evolving PrEP to Patient-Friendly Standards

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has become a fixture in HIV preventive strategy for the better part of a decade now.

What may drive its increased use and adherence among at-risk patients is a multitude of factors just now coming into play: regional and state access assistance, improved research and collaboration, and individualized options for patients.

In an interview with Contagion during the International AIDS Society (IAS) AIDS 2020 Virtual Sessions last week, Philip Peters, MD, medical officer of the California Department of Public Health, discussed how the California PrEP Assistance Program (PrEP-AP) benefitted from a previous burden: an abundance of HIV cases in regions of the west coast.

As much as he and his colleagues have created a program foundation for other public health agencies, they’ve also benefitted from the work of others.

“It could be easier trying to figure out what’s working in another scenario then figure out if it works with what we’re doing, rather than figuring it out ourselves,” he explained.

Peters also discussed how new, promising long-acting injectable PrEP options, as well as the emerging options of on-demand PrEP, could create a greater “flexibility” in HIV prevention.

“We’re definitely going to need to have more and more flexibility in our options,” he said.

Established programs like PrEP-AP, which could help facilitate information on and access to such new options, would be hugely beneficial.