Good news to all uninsured Americans: a nationwide program was launched on Tuesday to provide free HIV-prevention medications.
The "Ready, Set, PrEP" program is a major step forward of President Donald Trump's plan to end the HIV epidemic in the country, said US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on a national program.
At least 200,000 Americans could receive pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an HIV-prevention drug, yearly.
Through a press release, Gilead Sciences announced that they will sponsor the program. For 11 years, the company will donate about 2.4 million bottles annually.
The same company also produced Truvada and Descovy, which are the only PrEP medications that the US Food and Drug Administration approved. Descovy is only administered to men or transgender women who have sex with men.
President Trump and Secretary Azar previously announced the collaboration through their Twitter account in May this year.
To qualify, participants should submit a test that proves they're negative for HIV, a valid prescription for the medication and not have any prescription drug coverage.
Aspiring participants can also look for a provider by visiting www.getyourprep.com or call the toll-free number 855-447-8410.
Eradicating the HIV Epidemic in the US
Prior to this, President Trump announced through his State of the Union Address in February his decade-long initiative to end the HIV epidemic. On the first five years, he aims to reduce the new infections by 75 percent, and to 90 percent by the end of the decade.
The program aims to make the medication completely free. Without insurance, it can cost as much as $1,500 per month.
Dr. Kenneth Mayer praised the addition of this program and claimed that PrEP is an essential tool to meet the president's ambition. However, testing and treatment efforts also needed to be upgraded. Unfortunately, the program does not cover it.
According to Secretary Azar, these services are often low cost, if not free, from most health care providers, including public health centers. People without health insurance or ineligible for Medicaid can still avail it for free.
Moreover, Secretary Azar also said that the distribution process will still cost the federal government about $200 per bottle, but they hoped to lessen it through the partnership with other pharmaceutical giants such as Walgreens and Rite Aids.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that one out of five people at risk of HIV is receiving PrEP treatment. And an estimated number of 1.2 million people can benefit from the preventive medication
The PrEP has been considered as the saving grace of the HIV epidemic. In fact, the New York City Governor Andrew Cuomo happily cited it as the reason why the state he governs witnesses an optimistic result against the epidemic.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom along with Sen. Scott Wiener also improved the accessibility in the States of California of PrEP by turning it into an over-the-counter drug.
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