After reports that relatively few healthcare providers are prescribing Truvada as a daily HIV preventive, the CDC has launched a
free hotline to answer their questions.
PrEPline is aimed toward physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants providing primary care to uninfected patients with high risk. The phone service is staffed by experienced clinicians and offers written and online checklists, guidelines and other informational materials. “PrEP is a powerful HIV prevention tool that has the potential to alter the course of the US epidemic if its use is increased among patients who are at substantial risk for HIV infection,” Dawn Smith, MD, MPH, of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC, said in a statement. “By offering free, expert advice based on the new federal guidelines to clinicians, including those who may not have experience prescribing antiretroviral medications, PrEPline will ensure clinicians across the country have timely access to the information they need to get PrEP into the hands of their patients.” PrEPline is open to calls from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, and can be reached at 855-448-7737.
PrEP has been recommended for uninfected bisexual and gay men by the CDC, the World Health Organization, and almost all HIV/AIDS organizations. However the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which bills itself as the "largest community-based HIV/AIDS medical provider in the nation," continues to fiercely oppose PrEP via print and online campaigns. AHF president Micheal Weinstein has characterized Truvada as a "party drug" for promiscuous barebackers and has pointed out that strict adherence to a daily dosing regimen is critical to the drug's efficacy.
(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)Labels: CDC, HIV/AIDS, PrEP, safer sex, Truvada
