Tag: PrEP

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Gilead Will Donate PrEP For 200K People

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, Inc. has agreed to donate pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication for up to 200,000 individuals each year for up to 11 years.

PrEP is used to reduce the risk of HIV infection in individuals who are at higher risk for HIV. It has been shown to reduce the risk of new infection by up to 97 percent when taken consistently.

The agreement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Gilead will last until at least December 31, 2025 and possibly through December 31, 2030, and will provide medication to treat individuals who are at risk for HIV and who are uninsured.

This donation will deliver Gilead’s PrEP medication Truvada, which currently carries a list price of more than $20,000 per patient per year, to up to 200,000 people per year, including in the states and counties identified as priority areas in the Trump Administration plan – PDF to end the HIV epidemic in America.

Gilead will donate Truvada until its second-generation HIV preventative medication, Descovy, becomes available. At that time, Gilead will donate Descovy. The agreement would end after 11 years, or when a generic version of Descovy becomes commercially available, whichever comes first. The government has agreed to cover costs associated with distributing the drugs.

But some folks point out this isn’t a simple case of the Gilead folks being generous.

The U.S. government spent years, as well as tens of millions of dollars, developing the treatment. The federal government patented the treatment in 2015, but doesn’t make a penny from it while Gilead, which has a U.S. monopoly on the drug, has cleaned up.

A month’s supply of Truvada can cost $2,000, but costs a small fraction of that to produce.

(via press release)

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Australia: Man Receives HIV Diagnosis While Using PrEP ‘On Demand’

Steven Spencer, who lives in Sydney, told the Sydney Morning Herald he received the diagnosis in December.

“I was in complete, as were my doctors,” said the 27-year-old.

With an estimated half a million people currently taking PrEP (aka Truvada) to prevent HIV infection, Spencer is believed to be the 7th person in the world to be diagnosed as HIV+ while taking the medication.

Taking PrEP “on demand” is a dosing strategy aimed at taking the medication only at specific times before and after sex.

Dr. Darren Russell, of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine – which helped develop Australia’s clinical guidelines for PrEP – told the Morning Herald, “Taking PrEP only around the time of sexual events allows for fewer tablets to be taken overall, resulting in less exposure to medication, potentially fewer side-effects, and lower costs.”

Medical experts in Australia stressed to the media that people shouldn’t doubt the drug’s effectiveness in light of Mr. Spencer’s diagnosis.

Andrew Grulich, program head of HIV Epidemiology and Prevention at the University of NSW’s Kirby Institute, underscored the point that PrEP had been a “game-changer for HIV prevention in Australia” since it was made available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (which provides subsidized prescription drugs) in April 2018.

“Individuals should remain confident of PrEP’s effectiveness,” he added.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control say daily PrEP reduces the getting HIV by more than 90%.

According to Grulich, most of the cases where patients acquired HIV while using PrEP involved a virus that is resistant to the anti-viral medication.

Steven Spencer of Sydney, Australia

Immediately after his diagnosis, Spencer was put on HIV medications, and within six weeks was declared to have an ‘undetectable viral load’ meaning he couldn’t transmit the virus to anyone.

And Spencer still believes in the PrEP protocol.

“What happened to me doesn’t change the fact that PrEP is still the most powerful HIV preventative we have ever had,” said Spencer.

“It is protecting hundreds of thousands of people from HIV in an empowering way, alongside effective treatment for people living with HIV,” he added.

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PrEP Use Jumps 500% Among Gay/Bi Men At Risk Of HIV

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control indicates an almost 500% increase in the use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) among gay and bisexual men in 2017.

The data, presented at the 2019 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle on Thursday, found 35% of gay/bisexual men at risk for HIV had begun using PrEP, up from only 6% in 2014.

According to NBC News, the study was based on 8,000+ interviews across 20 cities in the U.S.

The numbers also revealed the varying adoption rates among different ethnic groups.

Among gay/bisexual men at high risk of HIV, 40% of white men were found to use PrEP, while only 30% of Hispanic men and just 26% of African-American men admitted to taking the drug.

PrEP, also known by its drug name Truvada, has been found to be more than 90% effective in blocking transmission of the HIV virus during sex.

The new report shows high levels of awareness of PrEP among gay/bi men. Ninety-five percent of white men indicated they knew about the drug, as well as 87% of Latinos and 86% of African-Americans.

But in light of the government’s newly-announced “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America,” which has a goal of reducing HIV infections by 90% by the year 2030, the CDC feels PrEP use is still “underutilized.”

One of the obstacles for people accessing PrEP is the high cost of the drug – around $2,000 a month for those without health insurance. Additionally, different insurance companies have wide-ranging policies regarding approving the use of PrEP.

Plus, the new report shows only 10% adoption rates across the country when you factor in heterosexuals and injection drug-use populations at risk of HIV.

With those costs in mind, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced the PrEP Assistance Program Act Friday morning.

The new legislation aims to prevent HIV and AIDS by increasing access to pre-exposure prophylaxis medication for individuals at risk of contracting HIV.

The PrEP Assistance Program Act would create a grant program through the federal Department of Health and Human Services to help cover the costs of PrEP medication, laboratory fees, outreach to inform the public about PrEP, and more.

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News Round-Up: February 20, 2019

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• I might be a little obsessed with this handsome face. InstaHunk Steve_In_LA is pretty easy on the eyes as well 😉

• New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has called for feds to ‘break the patent’ on Truvada, which is commonly prescribed as PrEP. Since the federal government helped fund the research for the drug, it has the right to break the patent and allow other companies to produce a generic version. PrEP has been shown to be 99% effective in protecting against HIV infection when used on a daily basis.

• The Republican-controlled Indiana Senate has voted to scrap all protected characteristics, including gender identity, race and sexual orientation, from a proposed hate crime bill. Indiana is one of only five states with no hate crime law in place.

• A lesbian couple in Indiana were refused service by their tax preparer, Nancy Fivecoate, because they were married. Fivecoate says she has gay clients, but she can’t work for gay married clients. What do taxes have to do with religious beliefs?

• 18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova has been removed from the advisory board of pro-LGBTQ sports organization Athlete Ally for her recent anti-transgender remarks. The tennis champ says its ‘cheating’ to let trans women compete in women’s sports.

• As he was recovering from a life-shaking breakup, out singer/songwriter Kisos penned (in real time) his upcoming EP, sweet nothings, featuring one track for each of the 5 stages of grief.

The lead single, “Happily Ever After,” is a bouncy electro-pop bop with the handsome artist deep in denial, using delusion as poisoned motivation to better himself and survive the pain of seeing his ex with someone new.

Hit the play button below and enjoy! “Happily Ever After” is available now – click here.

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Podcast: Chechnya Purges Gays Again; Toxic Masculinity; Adam Lambert in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

In this week’s headlines: • Chechnya is hunting down LGBTQ folks again • The American Psychological Association confirms that toxic masculinity is a real thing and its rooted in homophobia • Wedding fashion giant David’s Bridal features a same-sex couple in their new commercial • Mutual of Omaha agrees to stop denying coverage to gay men who use PrEP • Adam Lambert revealed he has a cameo in Bohemian Rhapsody

In this week’s podcast:

• Chechnya is hunting down LGBTQ folks again

• The American Psychological Association confirms that toxic masculinity is a real thing and its rooted in homophobia

• Wedding fashion giant David’s Bridal features a same-sex couple in their new commercial

• Mutual of Omaha agrees to stop denying coverage to gay men who use PrEP

• Adam Lambert revealed he has a cameo in Bohemian Rhapsody

 • YouTuber Logan Paul confirms he’s an idiot

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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San Francisco Man Contracts HIV Despite Regular Adherence To PrEP

A 21-year-old Latinx man in San Francisco, California, has contracted HIV despite adhering to a daily PrEP regime.

According to TheBodyPro.com, he is the first known HIV seroconversion with verified adherence to PrEP in the United States,

Medical experts were informed of the news at the annual IDWeek conference, run by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, this past weekend in San Francisco.

Reports show the man began PrEP through a city health clinic in San Francisco in late 2016. At the time, he was confirmed to be HIV negative.

Repeat testing during return visits at the three, six and ten month marks showed he had been consistent in taking the medication and he remained HIV negative. By analyzing samples of his hair, doctors were able to confirm he had adhered to the PrEP regime on a regular basis for the previous six months.

In early 2018, during a followup visit, he tested negative through a rapid test, but a more comprehensive RNA test came back positive. Further testing showed he was indeed HIV positive.

He was immediately placed on HIV medications and his viral load was suppressed where it has remained since treatment began.

Health care experts were able to identify that the man had acquired a particularly resistant strain of HIV usually identified with those who have begun treatment with HIV medications but stopped.

Researchers were able to determine that the man’s primary male partner had been diagnosed with HIV, used medications for a period of time but had stopped. His viral load was found to be very high and matched the 21-year-old’s strain. He has since returned to treatment.

This marks the sixth reported case of HIV infection while using PrEP.

Four cases, two in 2016 in New York and Toronto, and two in 2017 in North Carolina and Australia, are believed to be due to exposure to high viral loads of resistant strains of HIV.

Medical experts believe the fifth previous case, in Amsterdam, was the result of a gay man having “unusually high number” of sexual partners – an average of 56 partners a month – which may have repeatedly exposed him to HIV, according to aidsmap.com.

Even in light of this new report, health care professionals insist PrEP (currently being taken on a regular basis by over 350,000 people around the world) is extremely effective in combating HIV infection.

“We know PrEP is greater than 99% effective,” Robert Grant, M.D. of the University of California San Francisco told TheBodyPro.com.

“There are some cases where HIV will break through. We only have a handful of cases now, and next year, we’ll probably have a handful more. Fortunately, these cases are caught early, treated, and suppressed quickly. The person goes from taking one pill a day to one pill a day. The biggest difference is stigma.”

(h/t: TheBodyPro)

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News Round-Up: September 18, 2018

Medical student Marco proves that you can be very sexy even fully clothed.

Some news items you might have missed:

• Just to prove folks can be oh-so-sexy fully clothed, check out all of what med student Marco has going on underneath. Oh, yeah, and there’s that easy-on-the-eyes face. #woof

• The security guards who ejected fans waving rainbow flags at a concert by pop phenom Dua Lipa concert last week have been arrested for their actions.

• Out Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon is donating a pair of skates and the competition outfit he wore when he helped Team USA win a bronze medal at the 2018 games to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

• Britain’s High Court has overturned pharmaceutical company Gilead Science’s patent extension on Truvada. This ruling could mean affordable, generic versions of the drug could be available in the UK by April 2019.

• Roseanne Barr says the upcoming Roseanne spinoff, The Connors, will kill off her character by having her die of opioid overdose as a ‘screw you’ to Trump supporters. However, in the recent season of the rebooted Roseanne, writers had laid the groundwork for her character to struggle with prescription pain killer addiction.

• Digital series After Forever won “Best Short Film Ensemble” at the L.A. Indie Film Festival this weekend.

• A Sesame Street writer admits he always considered and wrote the longtime characters Bert & Ernie as a “loving couple.”

The folks at Sesame Street did respond to the recent revelation by tweeting a statement about the “best friends” which read, in part, “Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”

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News Round-Up: July 3, 2018

(image via Instagram)

Some news stories you might have missed:

• Chippendales’ Okewa (above) celebrates his 30th trip around the sun today. I’d say ‘woof’ but we can settle for a ‘meow’ given the pic 🙂

• A 19-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly beat up and trapped a 50-year-old gay man in a basement apartment.

• The vice mayor of a small California town is facing recall after penning an op-ed sarcastically calling for a ‘Straight Pride’ month.

• In an interview with Andrew Denton on the Australian talk show Interview, actor Guy Pearce was asked his thoughts on working with Kevin Spacey. The actor replied: “Yeah … yeah. Tough one to talk about at the moment. Amazing actor; incredible actor. Mmm. Slightly difficult time with Kevin. He’s a handsy guy.”

• After appearing in the 2003 film School of Rock with Jack Black, then-child actor Brian Falduto was severely bullied for playing a character perceived to be gay.

• The rising cost of PrEP is keeping it out of reach for many.

• Mexico’s newly-elected president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, name checked LGBTs in his victory speech.

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Sexy PSA: “Don’t Hate The Player Or The Game”

Check out this sexy new PSA from medsEXPERT Pharmacy based in Toronto, Canada.

Featuring a handsome young urbanite named “Bradley,” the short vid follows his adventures before and after picking up his prescription for PrEP.

Taken on a regular basis, PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis), also marketed as under medication name Truvada, can reduce the risk of HIV infection by over 90%.

It certainly seems to set Bradley free.

Produced by Bulldog Productions and featuring Sofi Tukker’s “Awoo,” busy-boy Bradley’s social calendar gets turbo-charged once he’s in the PrEP swing of things.

“There is still a lot of stigma out there around the sex gay men have, it’s not always easy to find friendly or knowledgeable doctors and healthcare providers for LGBTQ+ folks,” Micheal Fanous, the owner and pharmacist at medsEXPERT told INMagazine. “Through this campaign, medsEXPERT wants to acknowledge the sex that men have and for all of us to be proud of who we are.”

The video ends with this message: “Don’t hate the player or the game itself. Take pride in your health!”

Oh – “And never apologize for who you are.” #duh

For more info about PrEP, click over to the Centers for Disease Control site.

Watch the sexy video below.

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FDA Approves PrEP For Use By Teens At Risk Of HIV

hiv.jpg

In 2012, HIV medication Truvada was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by adults as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV.

The results have been excellent to say the least as studies show the use of PrEP reduces the chances of HIV exposure by over 90%.

Now, the FDA has expanded the approval of Truvada as PrEP to include adolescents. The new approval will now include teens at risk for HIV who weigh at least 77 pounds.

The decision was based on the ATN113 study, which enrolled 78 high-risk adolescents ages 15 to 17.

Over the course of 48 weeks, the participants checked in on a monthly basis for the first three months, and then moved to clinic visits every three months.

Adherence to taking the drug on a daily basis was fairly high during the first three months. But once the study moved to checking in only every three months, researchers found the teens were more likely to skip a dose.

That drop off in adherence led to the conclusion that teens may need monthly monitoring in order to achieve the best results on PrEP.

(photo by Jeremy McKnight)

The side effects reported among the adolescents were similar to those observed in adults on Truvada, the most common being weight loss, headaches and abdominal pains.

In a press release from Gilead Sciences, which manufactures Truvada, Sybil Hosek, PhD, clinical psychologist at the Cook County Health and Hospital System’s Stroger Hospital in Chicago and lead investigator of the study wrote, “Study ATN113 has demonstrated that Truvada for PrEP is a well-tolerated prevention option for adolescents who are vulnerable to HIV.”

“In addition to traditional risk-reduction strategies, health care providers and community advocates are now equipped with another tool to help address the incidence of HIV in younger at-risk populations,” she added.

(h/t Poz)