In a historic move, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a sweeping bill that will allow residents of the state to get anti-HIV drug regimens PrEP and PEP without a prescription.
The new bill expands the authority of pharmacists to dispense between a 30 and 60 day supply of the drug Truvada, which is used to treat and prevent HIV infections, as part of PrEP and PEP therapy. PrEP–short for pre-exposure prophylaxis–involves taking a low dose of Truvada every day to prevent infection. Studies of the drug program have repeatedly shown it more effective than condoms in preventing the spread of the disease. Patients take PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, at a higher dose after having sexual contact with a partner to prevent seroconversion if exposed to HIV. The bill also prohibits insurance companies from demanding a prior-authorization by a physician before a patient can access the drugs.
Related: HIV positive gay guys blocked on Grindr by guys on PrEP
“Use of PrEP and PEP in California remain far too low, particularly in communities most affected by HIV,” said APLA Health CEO Craig E. Thompson in a statement. “SB 159, which passed the California Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, will increase the places where people can access these medications, increase the number of healthcare professionals who can provide them and remove onerous and unnecessary insurance barriers. We applaud Governor Newsom for signing SB 159 into law.”
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Though PrEP use among gay men has radically expanded in the past few years, use of the drug remains low among the highest-risk communities, particularly low-income households and queer men of color. The new bill aims to correct that problem, offering PrEP to patients who have trouble accessing a doctor or getting the drug through their insurance. A generic version of Truvada will hit the market later this year, also drastically reducing the cost of adhering to the PrEP regimen.
russdog
Any additional measures to help prevent the spread of HIV is a good thing. I hope, however there are procedures in place that weren’t mentioned in the article to make this bold effort succeed. After you test HIV negative and start PrEP, you must be regularly monitored to confirm current HIV status and to address potential STIs not protected by PrEP. In my case, I had to immediately stop PrEP after two weeks when a blood test revealed kidney damage. I have permanent kidney damage due to cancer treatment several years ago. I can never take PrEP and never would have known the medicine was dangerous to me without the mandatory monitoring. Is there some provision for people to be checked to make sure PrEP is working properly and not causing severe side-effects?
Vince
They’ll be looking for elevated creatine levels.
cliche guevara
This article leaves out a bunch of information about SB 159. Basically a pharmacist can prescribe Prep to an individual but the pharmacist would have to do the initial HIV and STI screening that is normally done when you go to a primary care physician. After the initial prescription the individual would still need to follow up every three months. The expansion of access simply allows to pharmacists to do the follow up blood and urine testing rather than requiring a doctor to do it.
winemaker
Well, ain’t that special. Good ole gavin ‘giveaway the store and just about everything else’ newsom the socialist governor of California hell bent on driving the quality of life here into the ground, just like he did to the former California jewel, San Francisco that’s since become the west coasts calcutta… Not to be negative here, but just who gets to pay for all this swag? If you haven’t guessed this by now, it’ll be the hardworking taxpayers who’ll foot the bill and taxpayers in California for the most part are sick and tired of paying higher and higher taxes and getting nothing in return. As someone who lives in California, I can attest to this.. I understand this drug is expensive, buy hey what prescription drugs aren’t getting way out of hand price wise? Great idea: How about the government work to get prescription drug prices lowered, open markets that compete to do this.but this is probably too simple a concept. One important question: Why are a lot these drugs much cheaper in Canada and Western Europe where many have been used for years with good results and are made to high standards just like in the USA?
cliche guevara
Reading comprehension for the win! There was nothing in the article about giving anything away for free.
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batesmotel
Why not just sell it like Advil instead of making it something that needs to go through a pharmacist.
youarederanged
Or Zantac. Oh wait…