MPs call for HIV prevention drug PrEP to be more accessible in England
The drug is currently available on a NHS Impact Trial
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
MPs call for PrEP to be more accessible in England.
Since the introduction of PrEP, transmission rates have fallen by 29 per cent among gay and bi men in London and if taken daily, the drug can almost guarantee a person will not become HIV-positive.
But the HIV prevention drug is currently available in England via a capped 13,000 place trial and it’s likely that all the places will be filled by early 2019.
PrEP is almost 100 per cent effective when taken as a prescribed drug but some gay and bisexual men have been turned away where the trial places are full.
Now, MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle – who revealed last month that he is living with HIV – is leading the campaign to make the drug more accessible alongside Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion.
In the letter, they write: “We are writing to you to seek urgent action regarding the national PrEP Impact Trial [where] demand for the trial has far outstripped availability of places.
“This cliff-edge scenario is simply not an option.”
The HIV prevention drug has been made available in Scotland since July 2017 and is available via an uncapped study in Wales.