HIV rates are up in Atlanta. Activists and Georgia politicians say this doesn’t have to happen because cheap and safe medicines known as PrEP are over 99% effective at blocking the infection when taken by people who are HIV negative.
Georgia lawmakers were hoping to pass a bill before the close of last week’s legislative session that would have made the medicines easier to obtain from pharmacists without a prescription. Though that bill did not pass, experts said there are still many ways people can access low-cost PrEP in Georgia.
PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Human immunodeficiency virus, if untreated, causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and death. HIV is almost entirely preventable by using condoms, or by taking PrEP drugs.
PrEP drugs do not block the spread of other STDs or prevent pregnancy.
For those who lack health insurance, PrEP can be obtained free from Grady Memorial Hospital and from county boards of health. Positive Impact health centers in metro Atlanta also offer free PrEP in Decatur and Duluth.
Although highly effective medicines allow people who have HIV to live long lives and not transmit HIV to others, treatment is lifelong and expensive, costing $30,000 to $70,000 per year, according to Georgia state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, an anesthetist.
PrEP drugs are cheap and save the U.S. health care system billions of dollars, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has previously reported.
One of the PrEP drugs is even free under nearly all American health insurance plans, according to the CDC.
That same drug, Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (the generic form of Gilead Sciences’ drug Truvada) costs $23 to $30 a month for self-payers, or those who lack insurance, the AJC has reported.
Anyone — straight men and women, trans and gay people — can take the medicines as a means of preventing exposure via sexual contact, IV drug use or medical accidents.
The following are PrEP drugs used, or in trial, in the U.S.
Credit: Mylan
Credit: Mylan
Emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (a generic form of Gilead Sciences’ drug Truvada)
Price: Free to $30 per month.
Who can take it: Gay & bisexual cis men; trans men and women; heterosexuals; cis women; intravenous drug users.
It can be taken daily or on-demand before sexual contact using the PrEP 2-1-1 method (two pills two to 24 hours before sexual contact, one pill 24 hours later, a second pill 48 hours later), according to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Credit: Gilead
Credit: Gilead
Descovy (emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide)
Price: Free with insurance; $1,845 per month without insurance.
Who can take it: gay & bisexual cis men; trans women.
Must be taken daily, according to manufacturer Gilead Sciences.
Credit: ViiV Heal
Credit: ViiV Heal
Apretude (cabotegravir)
Price: $22,200 per year, most insurance plans do not cover but Emory and Grady Memorial Hospital can offer this drug free as part of a test program to certain candidates.
Who can take it: gay & bisexual cis men; trans men and women; heterosexuals; cis women; intravenous drug users.
This is a shot given every two months, according to manufacturer ViiV Healthcare.
Credit: Marvin Lwanga/Gilead
Credit: Marvin Lwanga/Gilead
Sunlenca (Lenacapavir)
Lenacapavir is currently marketed under the brand name Sunlenca by drugmaker Gilead Sciences, and used to treat people living with HIV. Studies in the U.S. and Africa revealed that this same drug, when administered as one shot every six months, was over 99% effective at preventing HIV transmission in those who are HIV negative. Further trials aim to determine if Lenacapavir is effective when administered as a once-a-year shot, the AJC reported.
How to get free HIV-prevention medication in metro Atlanta:
Fulton and DeKalb County residents:
Visit: gradyhealth.org/get-prep-hiv-prevention-pill to book an appointment
Call: 404-616-7737
Email: getPrEP@gmh.edu
Or walk in: Grady Memorial Hospital, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta
Cobb County residents:
Visit: cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com/services/hiv/hiv-prevention
Click “Make an Appointment”
Scroll down to Sexual Health Services, click “PrEP Initiation”
Or call: 770-514-2300
Gwinnett County residents:
Visit: gnrhealth.com/services/community-health/prep
Call: Contact PrEP coordinator at 770-339-4283, Ext. 420, or the HIV program manager at 678-442-6897, Ext. 135.
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