Photo Credit: Nito100
Peer referrals for promoting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among men who have sex with men (MSM) improved PrEP initiation, persistence, and adherence, according to results published in AIDS and Behavior. Jonathan Lio, MD, and colleagues defined peer referral as participants who were referred by peers already enrolled in a separate HIV PrEP trial, and they obtained data from the first 6 months of follow-up. A total of 1,131 MSM initiated PrEP, with 121 (10.7%) being referred by peers. At 6 months, the researchers reported adherence rates of 75.0% for peer-referred MSM and 67.1% for nonpeer-referred MSM. Peer-referred MSM also had higher adherence than non-peer-referred MSM. Regarding persistence, 812 (71.8%) MSM continued using PrEP at 6 months of follow-up, and peer-referred MSM were more likely to persist with PrEP. “These findings demonstrate the potential of peer referral in promoting PrEP use among MSM, suggesting the value of powerful peer-based interventions like peer navigation in future PrEP outreach,” Dr. Lio and colleagues wrote.