About one-third of people using pre-exposure prophylaxis in states with shelter-in-place orders stopped taking the medication during the pandemic, a survey from the American Academy of HIV Medicine found.
The academy conducted the survey with Gilead Sciences HIV Medical Affairs, polling 409 PrEP users and 188 prescribers between April 21 and May 15.
Four survey findings:
1. Of respondents who stopped taking PrEP, 85 percent said they were not engaged in behaviors that put them at risk for HIV.
2. Only 11 respondents said an outside factor — such as losing insurance coverage — prevented them from getting the medication.
3. Eighty-nine percent of providers did not recommend patients change their PrEP routines during shelter-in-place.
4. Forty-seven percent of providers said some of their patients elected to stop using PrEP during shelter-in-place.
The academy presented survey data June 8 at the virtual International AIDS Conference and shared its findings with Becker's via email.