title: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV: Evidence and Perspectives.
abstract: HIV remains an important public health issue worldwide. However, new prevention approaches have recently been developed and are very promising. Antiretroviral treatment as prevention, or as a prophylaxis after exposure to HIV, has been shown to reduce the likelihood of HIV acquisition. Over the last years, animal studies and randomized clinical trials in humans showed that antiretrovirals can also be efficacious and safe if used once daily, or intermittently, as prophylaxis before an individual is exposed to HIV (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis - PrEP). Fears about development of resistant strains have not been justified insofar given the accumulated evidence from research studies. Demonstration projects are ongoing and first results indicate that interests in the uptake of PrEP are high and adherence is satisfactory. Models suggest that PrEP could be a cost-effective or cost-saving approach under certain provisions including delivery to people at high risk of HIV infection, using less expensive medications, delivery in high HIV prevalence settings, short-term use for periods of higher risk, and evaluation in a longer-term period. The current review summarizes evidence on efficacy, safety and effectiveness of PrEP, and discusses future challenges and perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box: 20537, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Georgios K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulos
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Christaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paraskevis
authors.affiliation: Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefanos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonovas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D065129:Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: HIV; PrEP; effectiveness; exposure; prevention; prophylaxis