PrEP Is a Program, Not a Product
Speaking at April’s ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases Scientific Conference, AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren made the case that HIV prevention progress depends on more than the products themselves.
“PrEP is not a product. PrEP is a program that incorporates any number of biomedical products. And so I think we spent a lot of years failing because people thought, much like with COVID vaccines, if we build it, they will come. And guess what? That’s not the case.”
Oral PrEP, injectables, and the vaginal ring all require something the products can’t do on their own: getting people into a clinic, tested, and into a conversation about risk and options. Most people don’t think about HIV risk when they have sex, Mitchell noted, which means programs have to do the work of meeting people where they are and supporting them through whichever option fits their life — a daily pill, an injection every two months, or one every six.
Watch the full clip below.