NEJM: PrEP4All and Killelea Consulting Make the Case for Investing in National HIV PrEP Preparedness

(L-R) Co-Authors Jeremiah Johnson, MPH, Kenyon Farrow, and Amy Killelea, JD

New York, NY - February 27, 2023 - In a new Perspectives article, "Investing In National HIV PrEP Preparedness ," published on February 25th in the New England Journal of Medicine, PrEP4All's Acting Executive Director Jeremiah Johnson and former Managing Director of Advocacy & Organizing Kenyon Farrow along with Amy Killelea of Killelea Consulting and Johns Hopkins University make the case for the Biden Administration, Congress, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to immediately advance a National PrEP Program as part of a broader effort to improve public health responses for marginalized communities.

"A new approach to accessing HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could provide a blueprint for responding to other public health emergencies" the authors argue. "Over the past year and a half, health policy experts, community PrEP advocates, and health care service providers have laid the groundwork for scaling up innovative efforts in HIV prevention, as recommended by the [CDC]. Advocates are calling for a program that empowers the federal government to secure fair public health prices for PrEP medications and related laboratory tests for uninsured persons; builds capacity throughout a PrEP provider network, which encompasses clinical care providers as well as nonclinical community based organizations and other partners that can reach people who aren't accessing traditional health care sites; and invests in community education efforts."

The piece comes at a critical time for advocacy for a National PrEP Program, as advocates urge the CDC to outline an initial 2023 investment for a National PrEP Program that breaks with status quo block grants and incomplete funding approaches that have failed to get PrEP to communities of color. Stakeholders are also looking to the Biden Administration to chart a viable political course forward for additional Congressional investment in a National PrEP Program in FY24.

"Ending the U.S. HIV epidemic requires systemic reforms that center health equity, efficiency, and innovative delivery models. We believe Congress and the Biden administration should support a national PrEP program to shift our federal public health paradigm in a way that improves responses to other health concerns, especially for marginalized communities."

The proposed national PrEP program has received the support of 120 organizations, along with over 6000 signatures and over 1500 letters to Congress and the White House from advocates, community members, and PrEP users.