NHS England has been urged to allow everyone access to PrEP
The HIV prevention drug can almost guarantee a person won't be infected with the virus
By Steve Brown
The NHS has been urged to allow everyone to access PrEP.
More than 32 LGBT+ and HIV rights charities – including the National Aids Trust, Terrence Higgins Trust and Stonewall – have demanded the HIV prevention drug must be accessible for anyone and everyone by April 2019.
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.
NHS England began a large-scale trial providing up to 10,000 people over three years access to the drug.
However, the trial – which has only been running for eight months – has already filled 7,000 places.
A statement from the campaigning groups reads: “A national PrEP program will not only meet actual need but also provide welcome assurance to those currently accessing PrEP through the IMPACT trial that they will be able to continue to access PrEP once the trial ends.
“NHS England must honour its commitment to commission PrEP in a national program. The trial was never proposed by NHS England as a means to only partially meet need.”