PrEP

What is PrEP?

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves the use of anti-HIV medicine to prevent HIV infection. Taken orally daily, it can potentially reduce the risk of getting HIV significantly.

PrEP is NOT a replacement of safer sex and it CANNOT protect against other sexually transmitted infections. Other prevention measures including condom use must be in place to prevent HIV infection effectively.

World Health Organisation has recommended PrEP for populations with substantial risk of HIV acquisition, including men who have sex with men community.

The medicine currently approved by US FDA for PrEP is Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300mg / Emtricitabine 200mg.

Common side effects are digestive system upset, headache, and decreased weight. Other possible serious side effects include lactic acidosis, liver and kidney problems, bone mineral density loss, and worsening of Hepatitis B infection.

In the recent years there was a paradigm shift in the development of interventions to achieving HIV prevention, from a strictly socio-behavioural focus to one incorporating biomedical strategies, notably antiretroviral treatment. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment-as-prevention (TasP) are 2 important examples of modern day HIV prevention activities.

As these are new concepts, research has continued to be developed. While the underlying rationale is the same across all human populations, tailored intervention is needed in operationalizing initiatives encompassing PrEP or TasP.