Background
PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is an HIV prevention method prescribed to HIV-negative adults and adolescents who are at high risk for getting HIV through sex or injection drug use. It allows those who don’t already have HIV to take a daily pill to reduce their risk of getting HIV if exposed to the virus. Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken daily, and that it is highly effective for preventing HIV if it is used as prescribed. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by at least 74% when taken daily. PrEP is much less effective when it is not taken consistently.
Currently, there are only two FDA-approved medications for PrEP:
- emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, sold under the brand name Truvada®
- emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, sold under the brand name Descovy®
Resources
The following websites provide general information about PrEP, including how it works, who and should take it and why, safety issues, cost and how to obtain it:
- AIDSVu - Interactive online mapping tool that visualizes the impact of the HIV epidemic on communities across the United States.
- Avert.org - Global information and education on HIV and AIDS.
- CDC.gov - Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Greaterthan.org - Includes FAQs, personal stories and payment information from Greater Than AIDS.
- HIV.gov - U.S. government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and supported by the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund.
- Prepfacts.org - Information, research and FAQs from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Examples
The following promotional and informational tools can provide context on how PReP has been presented and communicated to the public.
- CDC PrEP Resources for providers and consumers, including brochures, prevention campaign resources, fact/info sheets and videos.
- Descovy "Step Up Prep Up" TV ad - From Gilead Sciences.
- NOTE: Descovy has not yet received FDA approval for cisgender women.
- Truvada "On the Pill" TV ad - From Gilead Sciences
- "Think about PrEP" TV ad - from the District of Columbia’s health department.
- PrEP for Her - DC Health's awareness campaign for women
- HeathySexual - ad campaign from Gilead Sciences
- HIV campaigns - a list of HIV campaigns, including info on testing, treatment, stigma, etc
- PrEP Campaigns - from Greater Than AIDS
- Health Services / Technology Assessment Text (HSTAT) - free website of full-text documents health information and for health care decision-making documents including: clinical practice guidelines, quick-reference guides for clinicians, consumer health brochures, evidence reports and technology assessments from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
- Sample search strings to use: Pre-exposure prophylaxis and HIV; PrEP and AIDS, etc.