Doctor who helped bring PrEP to UK gay men dies from rare cancer at 44
She leaves behind a husband and two young children
By Steve Brown
A doctor who was instrumental in making PrEP accessible in the UK has died at the age of 44.
Doctor Mags Portman was diagnosed with mesothelioma – a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs – and had been receiving treatment for the last two years but tragically she lost her battle with the rare cancer on Wednesday morning last week, Buzzfeed reported.
Portman was the pioneer in bringing the HIV prevention drug, PrEP, to UK gay and bisexual men and helped reduce the number of diagnoses each year.
She was an HIV consultant at London’s Mortimer Market Centre – one of the busiest sexual health clinics in London.
The UK’s leading HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust took to Twitter following the sad news and wrote: “All of us at Terrence Higgins Trust are deeply saddened by the passing of the brilliant Dr Mags Portman.
“We pledge to continue the fight for PrEP in her memory. Please take some time to read about Mags’ vital role as a #PrEP pioneer.”
All of us at Terrence Higgins Trust are deeply saddened by the passing of the brilliant Dr Mags Portman.
We pledge to continue the fight for PrEP in her memory. Please take some time to read about Mags’ vital role as a #PrEP pioneer.https://t.co/SVHsPfReCi
— Terrence Higgins Trust (@THTorguk) February 12, 2019
Portman leaves behind a husband and two young children.