US offering free HIV prevention drug to uninsured

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government launched a new programme on Tuesday to provide an HIV prevention drug for free to people who need the protection but have no insurance to pay for it.

Taking certain anti-HIV drugs every day dramatically reduces the chances that someone who is still healthy becomes infected through sex or injection drug use.

But only about 18% of the 1.2 million Americans who might benefit got a prescription last year, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

And for those without insurance, the drugs can cost up to $2,000 a month.

Expanding access to what’s called PrEP — for pre-exposure prophylaxis — is one key to the Trump administration’s ambitious goal of ending the nation’s HIV epidemic by 2030.

“We have the tools to stop the spread of HIV in its tracks. It’s about execution,” Azar told The Associated Press.

The HHS programme is for the uninsured to seek free PrEP doses.

Drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc. has agreed to donate enough of its HIV prevention medicines for up to 200,000 people a year over 10 years.

To qualify, people must have a valid prescription and a negative HIV test and must lack prescription drug coverage. They can apply through a new website, GetYourPrEP.com.

Once approved, they’ll be provided a card with a number necessary for their pharmacy to fill the prescription at no cost, officials said.

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