Planning for Possible Implementation of PrEP

Planning for Possible Implementation of PrEP

As researchers move forward with the search for new HIV prevention strategies, it will be critical to determine how these approaches can best be integrated into existing prevention programs, should they prove effective in reducing risk. Because no strategy is 100 percent effective in preventing HIV infection, the future impact of PrEP on the HIV epidemic will ultimately be determined by how effectively strategies are used in combination to provide the greatest protection to individuals at risk.

CDC has begun to examine potential implementation strategies with a wide range of stakeholders in the U.S. CDC’s top priority has been preparing for the rapid development of clinical guidelines to ensure the proper use of PrEP in the United States, should it prove effective in clinical trials. The agency has also begun examining how and under what circumstances PrEP could effectively be delivered to populations at highest risk for HIV infection in the United States as part of a comprehensive national HIV prevention strategy. For more complete information on implementation planning in the United States, see separate CDC fact sheet “Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention: Planning for Potential Implementation in the U.S.”

At the international level, should efficacy be proven, WHO and UNAIDS would develop normative guidance on global PrEP implementation, and individual countries would develop their own programs and policies for integrating PrEP into prevention efforts. As these plans are developed, CDC would provide technical assistance to its international partners and to countries where CDC trials are being conducted.