HIV forum urges more PrEP options

PrEP medication options for HIV prevention should be diversified to ensure people have more choices to meet their requirements, a recent forum as told.
Nittaya Phanuphak, executive director of the Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI), said PrEP takers need to have more choices in protecting themselves from contracting HIV/ Aids. While oral PrEP has proved to be effective in HIV prevention, there are certain limitations, as ingesting it orally on a daily basis may prove inconvenient during work hours or if people have a demanding lifestyle.
Furthermore, when prescribing PrEP, a medical checkup — such as having a blood status check or following up on HIV infections with a doctor — is required and many people do not have time to visit hospital, she said. As a result, many people take their medicine inconsistently, which leads to a higher risk of HIV/ Aids infection. With inconsistent blood checkups, these people also do not have the chance to know their blood status, she said.
“The options in HIV prevention we have today are limited. Thailand should provide more diversified PrEP options to meet people’s lifestyles and their needs, such as investing in injectable PrEPs or exploring other HIV prevention options like intravaginal rings for women.
“Such diversification requires policymakers, funders and the state to help make it happen. They need to consider that such choices must be available and accessible inclusively, and affordable for all,” she said.
Dr Nittaya spoke to participants during a forum entitled the “Community Forum: From Options to Choice”. Held by her office, it was aimed at discussing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP options to ensure more inclusive HIV/Aids prevention and protection for all people in the country.
Targets for getting people to take PrEP pills have fallen short, and other options are not as readily available. PrEP is a medicine that people who do not have HIV can take to prevent themselves from contracting HIV/Aids when they may be at risk of being in contact with the virus.
Thailand has had a national PrEP rollout since 2015, and this medicine is included in the social welfare system, which Thais can access for free. As of now, only the daily oral intake PrEP available is in Thailand; long-acting injectable PrEP like Cabotegravir and Lenacapavir have proven to be more effective and convenient in HIV prevention, but are not available under the healthcare system.
Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) director of supplies and products, Rachaneekorn Jevprasesphant, said various processes are needed to make a new medicine, including licensing and pricing.
She said that when it comes to the local production of medicines, sourcing ingredients and formula development should be taken into account. Then the GPO has to conduct research, which can take around two years, followed by drugs registration which can take around a year. So, making a drug locally can take three years altogether.
IHRI project manager Rina Chan-amnuaysuk said having various options on offer helps to guarantee people’s safety while having sex.
She said Thailand had set the goal of 144,054 PrEP takers by 2022; however, at that time, there were only 31,790 people who had taken PrEP.