FDA has approved the HIV prevention pill for gay and bi teens

[left-of-center2012]

... in 2016, youth aged 13 to 24 made up 21 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Most of those new diagnoses occurred among young gay and bisexual men.
Current prevention options are not making an impact on young people. We have proved over and over again that the current model of prevention is inefficient.

The FDA, which approved the use of PrEP for adults in 2012, issued the decision following new research into PrEP's effectiveness for YMSM (young men who have sex with men).

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. The pill (brand name Truvada) contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) that are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV.

When someone is exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use, these medicines can work to keep the virus from establishing a permanent infection.
When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92%.

https://www.advocate.com/health/2018/5/17/fda-approves-prep-gay-and-bi-teens

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.html

[Runningdawg]

1. Current prevention options are not making an impact on young people.

If someone can't be bothered to screen partners or use a condom, I highly doubt they will be responsible enough take a pill once a day and see their Dr every 3 months. I also didn't see the cost of this drug or if insurance will pay for it?
I WANT this to be a solution, but I don't think it will be.

[FreeState]

2. It's part of the solution - and yes insurance pays for it

Obama’s plan of attack was PrEP and Treatment as Prevention (TaSP). If both are done the new cases will plummet. Look up studies about HIV rate declines with the above approach - it absolutely works.



https://www.newscientist.com/article/2117426-massive-drop-in-london-hiv-rates-may-be-due-to-internet-drugs/