Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

WASHINGTON — Findings presented at IDWeek demonstrated the potential of Grindr to identify men who have sex with men, or MSM, who are at high risk for HIV, suggesting a potential new route for testing and prevention outreach, researchers said.

The FDA has approved Descovy as a second option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, in at-risk adults and adolescents. The approval excludes patients who have receptive vaginal intercourse due to a lack of efficacy data in this population, the agency said.

Healio spoke with Douglas Krakower, MD, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, about increasing the use of PrEP, potential downsides to the medication, a newly approved drug to reduce HIV infection and the future of HIV prevention.

Almost a quarter of at-risk women screened at family planning clinics in Kenya initiated pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for HIV prevention, and more than 40% of them returned for at least one refill, suggesting that integrating universal screening and counseling for PrEP in family planning clinics is feasible, researchers said.

Preliminary data published in MMWR showed that most men who have sex with men, or MSM, are aware of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for HIV prevention, but that black and Hispanic MSM were much less likely than white MSM to have ever discussed it with a health care provider.

Nondaily pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, demonstrated decreased efficacy compared with daily PrEP, especially among men who have sex with men in the United States, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

An automated algorithm that used electronic health record data to identify individuals at increased risk for HIV infection could have averted about 40% of new HIV infections at a U.S.-based organization serving a general primary care population.

Findings from a state-of-the-art review showed that doxycycline prophylaxis may be a promising strategy to prevent bacterial STIs.

Among the top stories in infectious disease this past week included an announcement that four European countries had lost their measles elimination status — a major setback the United States may soon experience as well. Also, a small pilot study demonstrated that pharmacists can play a central role in improving uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a small pilot study demonstrated that a pharmacist-led pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, program is a feasible way to increase PrEP uptake.