While there’s no cure for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there are measures people can take to avoid developing the disease.
One involves taking drugs called preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2012.
A newly released statement from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that clinicians prescribe the medication to persons at increased risk of acquiring HIV.
The recommendation was graded category A, meaning the panel believes “There is high certainty that the net benefit is substantial.”
This category also means that most insurance companies will cover the medications at no out-of-pocket costs for patients.
USPSTF is an independent volunteer panel of leading clinical experts working to improve the population’s health through evidence-based recommendations.
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“It is essential that PrEP is taken as prescribed to ensure enough medicine is in the body to prevent replication of the human immunodeficiency virus,” stated Christine Horvat Davey, PhD, RN, assistant professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University.
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