Leading(HIV/AIDS(groups(endorse(CDC(HIV(PrEP(Guidelines( Reiterate(that(PrEP(is(a(powerful,(additional(tool(in(the(AIDS(response( ! Contact:( Mitchell(Warren,(mitchell@avac.org,(+18914866181536( Jim(Pickett,(jpickett@aidschicago.org,(+1(773860086407( Kay(Marshall,(kaymarshall@mac.com,(+18347824986375( ! Thursday,(May(15,(2014(—!A!group!of!68!leading!HIV/AIDS!and!health!organizations!today!reiterated! their!strong!support!for!oral!pre=exposure!prophylaxis!(PrEP)!as!an!important!HIV!prevention!strategy! for!men!and!women!at!risk!of!HIV!infection.!The!diverse!group!of!advocates,!researchers!and!service! providers!hailed!new!HIV!PrEP!guidelines!from!the!US!Centers!for!Disease!Control!and!Prevention!(CDC)! as!a!science=driven,!public!health!approach!to!what!remains!a!major!health!crisis!in!the!United!States.! ! The!guidelines!come!almost!two!years!after!the!US!Food!and!Drug!Administration!(FDA)!approved!the! oral!drug!Truvada!(TDF/FTC)!for!HIV!prevention!following!an!extensive!review!of!data!from!multiple,! multinational!clinical!trials!of!PrEP!among!men!and!women!with!different!risks!for!HIV!infection.!In!the! time!since!FDA!approval,!the!CDC!has!reviewed!additional!data!and!sought!input!from!a!range!of!experts! and!community!members!to!develop!these!new!guidelines.!! ! The!guidelines!provide!critical!information!to!help!healthcare!providers!and!patients!evaluate!the! suitability!of!oral!PrEP!as!an!HIV!prevention!option!and!ensure!that!those!who!choose!PrEP!have!the! support!–!including!ongoing!monitoring,!counseling,!adherence!support!and!frequent!HIV!and!STD! testing!–!necessary!for!PrEP!to!be!effective.! ! The!group!strongly!condemns!the!harmful!misrepresentations!of!the!facts!and!anti=scientific!approach! to!PrEP!adopted!by!the!AIDS!Healthcare!Foundation!and!its!president!Michael!Weinstein.!Weinstein! continues!to!make!assertions!that!are!not!grounded!in!scientific!evidence.!We!reject!statements!from!all! quarters!that!add!to!the!deep!stigma!attached!to!HIV!and!that!erect!barriers!between!people!and!what! they!can!use!to!support!their!health.! ! Weinstein’s!statement!that!widespread!use!of!PrEP!will!be!accompanied!by!“a!shift!to!condomless!sex”! is!not!based!on!evidence.!In!fact,!initial!studies!suggest!the!opposite,!and!Weinstein’s!assertion! underestimates!the!capacity!of!informed!individuals!to!make!decisions!about!their!health!and!sex!lives.! We!all!must!do!more!to!reinvigorate!the!approach!to!correct!and!consistent!condom!use!and! underscore!that!PrEP!and!condoms!are!complimentary!interventions!to!the!prevention!of!all!STDs,! including!HIV.!But!Weinstein's!statements!fail!to!recognize!that!many!adults!–!in!the!United!States!and! across!the!world!–!have!not!been!using!condoms!consistently!or!correctly!for!a!host!of!reasons.!PrEP! now!provides!an!additional!option!that!also!provides!significant!protection!against!HIV.!! ! The!current!scientific!evidence!clearly!indicates!that!PrEP,!when!taken!daily!as!directed,!can!reduce!the! risk!of!HIV!infection!by!more!than!90!percent.!CDC’s!PrEP!guidelines,!like!public!health!guidelines!aimed! at!helping!prevent!other!diseases,!outline!the!support!needed!to!help!patients!adhere!to!the!daily! dosing.!The!idea!of!taking!a!daily!pill!for!prevention!is!not!new:!millions!of!women!have!successfully! taken!contraceptive!pills!to!prevent!unintended!pregnancy,!and!men!and!women!are!able!to!take!a! variety!of!medications!to!treat!or!prevent!a!range!of!health!issues.!! ! The!CDC!PrEP!guidelines!underscore!that!PrEP!is!not!for!everyone.!Neither!CDC!nor!any!of!our! organizations!are!advocating!for!indiscriminate!use!of!PrEP.!Neither!is!anyone!suggesting!that!oral!PrEP! is!a!replacement!for!condoms;!rather!it!is!an!additional!option!from!which!individuals!should!be!able!to! choose.!! 1 ! PrEP!has!the!potential!to!help!many!individuals!in!the!US!and!around!the!world!protect!themselves!from! HIV.!Failure!to!strategically,!effectively!and!responsibly!implement!this!scientifically!sound!strategy!as! part!of!comprehensive!prevention!and!treatment!programs!in!our!fight!against!HIV!would!be!a!true! catastrophe.!We!support!the!CDC!guidelines,!and,!more!importantly,!we!support!the!right!of!informed! adults!to!choose!the!most!appropriate!mix!of!HIV!prevention!options!for!their!lives!as!part!of!truly! comprehensive!approaches!to!testing,!treatment,!care!and!prevention.! ! AIDS!Action!Baltimore! International!Rectal!Microbicide!Advocates! AIDS!Action!Coalition! (IRMA)! AIDS!Action!Committee! Justice!Resource!Institute!(JRI)! AIDS!Alabama!! Lansing!Area!AIDS!Network! AIDS!Arms! Legacy!Community!Health!Services! AIDS!Community!Research!Initiative!of! Lifelong! America!(ACRIA)! Los!Angeles!County!Public!Health!Social! AIDS!Foundation!of!Chicago!! Justice!Caucus! AIDS!Research!Consortium!of!Atlanta! Mr!Friendly! AIDS!Resource!Center!Ohio! Multicultural!AIDS!Coalition! AIDS!Treatment!News! Nashville!CARES! AIDS!United!! National!Alliance!of!State!&!Territorial!AIDS! amfAR:!The!Foundation!for!AIDS!Research! Directors!(NASTAD)! Amida!Care!! National!Coalition!of!STD!Directors!(NCSD)! ASPIRA!Association! National!Female!Condom!Coalition! Association!of!Nurses!in!AIDS!Care! National!Minority!AIDS!Council!(NMAC)! AVAC! National!Women's!Health!Network! Bay!Area!Perinatal!AIDS!Center!(BAPAC)! NO/AIDS!Task!Force! Between!the!Lines!Newspaper! Ohio!AIDS!Coalition! Black!AIDS!Institute! Positive!Women's!Network=!USA! BOOM!Health!! PrEP!for!New!York!City!Task!Force! Center!for!Health!&!Gender!Equity! Project!Inform! (CHANGE)! Project!PrEPare!! Center!for!HIV!Educational!Studies!and! Puerto!Rican!Cultural!Center=Vida/SIDA! Training!(CHEST),!Hunter!College,!CUNY! San!Francisco!AIDS!Foundation! Chicago!House!and!Social!Service!Agency! SisterLove! FHI!360! Southern!AIDS!Coalition! Friends!For!Life,!Memphis! St.!Louis!Community!PrEP!Implementation! Gay!City!Health!Project! Project!(C=PIP)!! Gay!Men's!Health!Crisis!(GMHC)! Test!Positive!Aware!Network! Georgia!Equality! The!AIDS!Institute! Harlem!United!Community!AIDS!Center! The!Well!Project! Harm!Reduction!Coalition! Treatment!Access!Expansion!Project! HIV!Medicine!Association!(HIVMA)! Treatment!Action!Group! HIV!Prevention!Justice!Alliance! Urban!Coalition!for!HIV/AIDS!Prevention! Housing!Works! Services!(UCHAPS)! Howard!Brown!Health!Center! US!Women!&!PrEP!Working!Group! Inova!Juniper!Program! VOCAL=NY! ! ! For$more$information,$visit:$ • http://myprepexperience.blogspot.com$ • http://prepfacts.org$ • http://www.prepwatch.org$$ 2