Charities have spoken out in protest against NHS England’s confirmation that it will not commission PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a highly effective HIV prevention drug.
A statement on NHS England’s website said that it did not ‘have the legal power’ to commission PrEP.
Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said, ‘Today is a shameful day for HIV prevention. This country used to lead the way in the fight against the HIV epidemic, but today, our national health service has washed its hands of one of the most stunning breakthroughs we’ve seen; a pill which, if taken correctly, is almost 100 per cent effective in preventing HIV. A pill which is already available in America, Canada, France, Kenya and soon to be Australia.
‘How did it come to this? It defies belief that, after 18 months of false hope, delays and u-turns in the battle to see PrEP made available on the NHS to people at high risk of HIV, today we are in a worse position than when we started.
‘It is a mess, and the people who will feel the effects are the 2,500 men who have sex with men who will be needlessly infected with HIV each year in the UK. This figure has not changed in a decade. Who will claim responsibility for the life-long impact this will have on people’s lives?
‘It’s not right that people who know themselves to be at high risk of HIV have to buy PrEP themselves from the internet at considerable personal expense. Many high risk people are living in poverty and they simply cannot afford to protect themselves against HIV. Currently, only those who can afford it are able to access this life-changing treatment, further widening the inequality gap by those most affected by HIV.
‘The battle for PrEP must continue until the day that people at highest risk have access to this groundbreaking pill that will protect them from HIV.’
