Optimising PrEP Uptake and Use in Peru: No Time to Lose!

Luis Menacho, Kelika A. Konda, Leonid Lecca, Robinson Cabello, Alexander Lankowski, Carlos Benites, Jorge A. Gallardo-Cartagena, Ann Duerr, Jorge Sánchez, Jerome T. Galea

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In May, 2010, results of the multicountry iPrEx study were released: daily oral co-formulated emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate effectively prevented HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women.1 The new intervention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012, and a broad global scale-up was anticipated. In Peru, where more than half of all iPrEx participants were enrolled, PrEP was urgently needed, and in 2016 its use was approved by the Ministry of Health; however, access was limited to demonstration studies (that began in 2017) or unsubsidised private sector purchases, and uptake was poor. By mid-2023, according to UNAIDS data, less than 3000 people had initiated PrEP, and in September, 2023, only about 0·9% (approximately 800 people) of the estimated 90 000 who could benefit from PrEP, were receiving it.2 Meanwhile, new HIV infections among adults (aged ≥15 years) in Peru have increased by 52% since 2012.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)e204-e206
JournalThe Lancet HIV
Volume11
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2024

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