Accessing PrEP in Brighton & Hove

Stephen Nicholson, the Brighton & Hove commissioner for sexual health, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust Sexual Health & Contraception team (SHAC) and Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) are working together to increase PrEP awareness and accessibility across the city.

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a pill you take before and after sex that greatly reduces the risk of getting HIV (it’s almost 100% effective when taken as prescribed). Once the PrEP drug is in the body, it blocks the HIV virus from causing an infection.

It can either be taken as a daily tablet (for people having vaginal and anal sex) or on demand (over three days before and after sex for people having anal sex). Although PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV, it won’t protect you from other STIs. This is why it’s important to go for regular STI screenings every three months.

Until October this year PrEP was only available as part of clinical trials such as IMPACT or by purchasing the medication from online pharmacies. However, after years of campaigning by community organisations and activists, PrEP is now available free through the NHS to those at risk of contracting HIV.

Dr Daniel Richardson

Dr Daniel Richardson, consultant and clinical reader in sexual health & HIV medicine, SHAC and Brighton & Sussex Medical School, said:

People who are interested in starting PrEP or want advice on PrEP can contact the SHAC team at www.brightonsexualhealth. com. Gay and bisexual male patients are mainly being started on PrEP at clinic M on Wednesday evenings. However, PrEP is not just for men who have sex with men, but can also be provided for: trans, non-binary and gender diverse groups; people including women who get paid for sex; people who identify as BAME and are concerned about their HIV risk.

Stephen Nicholson, the Brighton & Hove commissioner for sexual health, SHAC and THT are working together to increase PrEP awareness and accessibility across the city.

According to Public Health England there was an 18% drop in new diagnoses among gay and bisexual men, with heterosexuals lagging behind with a 6% fall. This is largely attributed to the knowledge and take-up of PrEP and fast initiation of treatment after diagnosis, which stops HIV from being passed on.

SHAC and THT are currently working with Emerge M-Health and the University of Brighton on designing a mobile phone app to support patients using PREP to ensure ready availability and access to STI testing and monitoring.

Brighton is a registered HIV Fast Track City committed to achieving zero new HIV infections and zero Aids-related deaths by 2030. Raising awareness and availability of PrEP throughout the region will undoubtedly help to achieve this goal.

Marc Tweed

Marc Tweed, centre manager at THT Brighton, said:

This is great news for the communities most affected by HIV in Brighton and an important milestone in the course of the HIV epidemic in the UK. PrEP can help us make a big step towards ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.

For more info on THT, visit: www.tht.org.uk D For more info on SHAC, visit: www.brightonsexualhealth.com