The new statement recommends all 3 FDA-approved PrEP drugs, including an injectable option.
New HIV prevention guidelines were published in JAMA on August 22 by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2017 and 2021, there was a roughly 10% decrease in HIV cases in the United States. This decrease can be attributed in part to increased availability to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an antiviral drug; nonetheless, significant injustices still exist.
Despite these positive findings, there are still significant racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in new HIV diagnoses and PrEP use in the United States. Paradoxically, these disparities are getting worse as more people have access to and are able to use PrEP.
It is evident that PrEP is not being distributed to all of the people who could benefit from it, according to James Stevermer, MD, a professor of family and community health at the University of Missouri in Columbia and a member of the USPSTF who coauthored the new recommendations. Black and Hispanic patients, in particular, do not receive as many prescriptions for it as do white ones.
The FDA has now approved three drugs for PrEP: Truvada and Descovy, two daily pills, and Apretude, an injection that must be given every two months. All three medications are now included in the new recommendations.
“PrEP works a lot better if people take it as they should, so for people who can’t take a daily pill, an injection every couple of months may be a better option to ensure they’re protected against HIV,” says Dr. Stevermer. Although these are recommendations rather than regulations, he adds that they are intended to help doctors treat patients more effectively and to make PrEP more accessible to patients.
Source-Google
