Tuesday 31 May 2016

Responding to the decision (31 May) by NHS England to remove Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) from the official NHS commissioning process, Dr David Asboe, Chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA), said:

"This second refusal by NHS England to commission PrEP for those at significant risk of HIV infection is no less dumbfounding than the initial decision made in March. While NHS England continues to hide behind spurious legal arguments, 17 people a day are diagnosed with HIV in the UK, most of them in England.

The absurd stalemate is a consequence of restructuring arising from the 2012 Health and Social Care Act alongside continued underfunding of prevention. Our view on PrEP remains unchanged: it must be made available to all those at higher risk. We will continue to make this case and press the Department of Health for the leadership required to take this to a swift and satisfactory resolution."