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Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Prevention of HIV

Presented on .

An estimated 50,000 individuals become infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States annually. A new prevention strategy, Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), is intended for high-risk populations to reduce their risk of becoming infected with HIV. PrEP includes daily medication and routine follow-up. When used consistently, PrEP is shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection. If delivered effectively and used in combination with other proven prevention methods, PrEP may play a significant role in helping to address the HIV epidemic in the United States.

This session of Grand Rounds explored the opportunities for using PrEP as another tool to prevent the transmission of HIV and discuss the challenges to effective implementation that must be addressed to make PrEP a success.

Beyond the Data

Dr. John Iskander sits down with Dr. Dawn Smith and Dr. Melanie Thompson to discuss Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as an HIV prevention tool. When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92%.

Patients should know that:

  • PrEP is very well tolerated
  • No serious side effects were observed
  • When taken as directed, PrEP is effective

Practitioners should be aware that:

  • PrEP is approved for use in populations with substantial risk of ongoing exposure
  • Several resources are available to aid in learning about and prescribing PrEP
  • Talking to patients about medication adherence and risk reduction is key to efficacy
Presented By
Walid Heneine, Phd
Team Lead, Surveillance, Antiretroviral Prophylaxis and Drug Resistance, Laboratory Branch, Division of HIV Prevention
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC
Melanie Thompson, MD
Founder and Principal Investigator
AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta
Dawn K. Smith, MD, MPH, MS
Biomedical Interventions Activity Lead, Prevention with Negatives Team,
Division of HIV Prevention

National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC
Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH
Director
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC
Facilitated By
John Iskander, MD, MPH
Scientific Director
Phoebe Thorpe, MD, MPH
Deputy Scientific Director
Susan Laird, MSN, RN
Communications Director
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