Photo Credit: Design Cells

A PrEP program that includes distribution of PrEP and clinical consultations at 3 months with HIV/STI testing showed efficacy for reducing new HIV and Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) infections, according to results published in JAIDS. Maria Xiridou, PhD, and colleagues examined results of a 5-year PrEP program that provided up to 8,500 MSM with PrEP and clinical consultations at 3 months. At a capacity of 8,500 participants, the PrEP program had the potential to prevent 3,140 HIV and 27,930 NG infections with 316,050 consultations. At a capacity of 16,000 participants, programs with consultations at 3 and 6 months could result in comparable numbers of prevented HIV and NG infections, though the number of consultations increased significantly at 3 months (589,330) and 6 months (272,590). “More infections could be averted if the number of participants is increased,” Dr. Xiridou and colleagues wrote. “In turn, the consultations frequency could be reduced without reducing the number of averted infections if capacity is increased.”