Preventive Services Recommendation May Not Increase Injectable PrEP Access

  • Aug 24, 2023

    A federal panel of medical experts on Aug. 22 recommended that pre-exposure prophylaxis be prescribed to people at increased risk of HIV infection, and included long-lasting, physician-administered injectable forms of PrEP in its guidance. However, a leading vaccine expert says the decision by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is unlikely to increase access to PrEP, especially given an ongoing conservative-led legal battle that threatens to overturn the preventive services mandate included in the Affordable Care Act.

    USPSTF granted PrEP an “A” grade, its highest rating. In the rating, USPSTF experts “recommend[ed] that healthcare professionals prescribe PrEP to people at increased risk for HIV to help prevent HIV.” Notably, the new rating mentions injectable PrEP, Apretude (cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension), which had not been included in USPSTF PrEP recommendations before. In a 2019 PrEP endorsement, the task force only mentioned oral PrEP.

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  • Peter Johnson

    Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.

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