November 9, 2007

PEP in High Demand Following Risky Sex

People seeking post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP—HIV medications that prevent the virus from taking hold within the body—are likely to complete the month-long regimen, say researchers at University of California Los Angeles’ AIDS Institute (eurekalert.com, 11/8).

Due to high public demand for PEP in Los Angeles county, researchers are calling for the drugs to be made widely available to people there who are engaging in high-risk sex, just as they are for those who may come in contact with HIV from accidental needle sticks in medical settings.

“We have 2,000-plus HIV infections in this county every year, and that rate has been stable for a number of years, which signifies that behavioral prevention has reached its peak,” says Steven Shoptaw of the UCLA AIDS Institute. “Having post-exposure prophylaxis available may provide another arrow in the quiver to prevent new HIV infections.”

Researchers followed 100 people who received the drug following unprotected, risky sex. Researchers followed up 26 weeks later and found that 75 percent of participants completed the treatments and that none of them had seroconverted.