If people at risk for HIV were to start taking both an injectable form of long-acting PrEP and daily pills, it could have huge public health benefits, according to an updated report from the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute.
The number of HIV infections averted would be 87% higher if people were prescribed both oral and long-acting medications compared to using only daily oral PrEP, resulting in $4.25 billion in medical cost savings over 10 years; “139,296 person-years of HIV treatment would be averted over 10 years,” the Institute said in a statement. By comparison, assuming only oral PrEP is used for ten years, only 74,540 person-years of HIV treatment would be averted, with a medical cost savings of $2.27 billion.
The difference in outcomes, according to the latest study, is due to users’ higher adherence to long-acting injectable medications compared to daily pills.
Only about 36 percent of people who the Centers for Disease Control believes should be taking PrEP are currently taking it, with many people from marginalized communities, including black and transgender people, at risk for HIV because they are not taking the preventive medication.
“We need to make sure that everyone who has a reason to take PrEP can access the drug best suited to their needs. With the new long-acting drug PrEP, many people who have had difficulty sticking to a daily pill regimen now have another option for HIV prevention,” Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, said in a statement. “And we now know that more HIV cases can be prevented and medical costs saved by gradually expanding the use of long-acting PrEP. This needs to be taken into account when developing policies and programs around PrEP use and distribution.”