Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Purpose of the Initiative

The PrEP Initiative is a program of AIDS Partnership California and is funded by The Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, The California Healthcare Foundation, and The California Endowment. Spurred by the recognition that advances in biomedical prevention could have significant impact on prevention needs and the structure and delivery of prevention services, the PrEP Initiative sponsored a national Think Tank on  May 11-12, 2008, the development of a PrEP Clearinghouse website, and an evaluation of community needs in California, particularly among high risk populations. A summary report of the Initiative's findings will be available in Summer 2008.

Background

Launched in 2005, the PrEP Initiative is a response to two emerging issues in HIV Prevention: 1)  experimental trials testing the efficacy of anti-retroviral medications (HAART), consumed prior to exposure, for reducing HIV transmission in an uninfected persons; and 2) media reports that anti-retrovirals were already being used by non-infected individuals prior to high-risk sexual encounters. The Initiative provided support to evaluate the status of PrEP science, evaluate its potential impact on individuals and communities, and evaluate the readiness of existing prevention delivery systems to respond to positive research findings. Under the Chairmanship of Dr. Thomas Coates, UCLA convened a Think Tank on May 11-12, 2006. Proceedings from that Think Tank [PDF] are available. The Prep Watch website is a source for up-to-date information on emerging PrEP science.  In 2007, Bienestar Human Services, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation conducted organizational and community assessments regarding perceptions and needs related to PREP.