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AMA calls for increased HIV prevention, PrEP education

The AMA has adopted policies focused on improving physician education on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection, according to a press release from the organization.

In their push for increased education, the AMA cited CDC research from 2015 in which 34% of primary care providers and nurses reported never hearing of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

"With more than 1.2 million people in the United States living with substantial risk of HIV infection but fewer than 5% of them taking PrEP, there is significant ground to gain in stemming the incidence of HIV," Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, AMA board member, said in the release. "Educating physicians about the effective use of PrEP and encouraging insurers to cover the costs associated with its administration will make the transmission of HIV rarer and our nation healthier."

According to the AMA, the average price of PrEP is $1,539.90 for 30 tablets in the United States. The organization also adopted other PrEP-related policies related to the cost. The other adopted policies stated that "the AMA will advocate that all insurers be required to cover the costs associated with the administration of PrEP; and that the AMA work with government officials to study the feasibility of providing PrEP free of charge to high-risk individuals." – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes