Wed 23 Mar 2016 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
The NHS England has announced that it can’t yet fund widespread access to PrEP in the UK. Medical professionals, patient groups and government health organisations including the NHS have worked together over the past year to investigation the role that PrEP could play in preventing HIV in those at the highest risk in the UK. The organisation says they are “not responsible for commissioning HIV prevention services” despite funding other sexual health prevention medication such as the contraceptive pill, and will not fund widespread access to PrEP at this stage. “Specifically, given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England is keen to build on the excellent work to date and will be making available up to £2m over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites,” they say. “These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk. These test sites will aim to provide protection to an additional 500 men at high risk of HIV infection as well as inform future arrangements for the commissioning and provision of this innovative intervention." The National AIDS Trust say the claim that more ‘testing’ of PrEP is needed is disingenuous. “Over 5,000 gay men will get HIV over the next two years – very many of whom would not have done so if PrEP had been delivered as proposed… Faced with one of the most exciting prevention options to emerge since the HIV epidemic began, and which offers the prospect of real success in combatting this virus, the NHS has failed miserably to deliver.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 23rd March 2016 - 9:45am