Implementation of Drugs to Prevent Acquisition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in England

Description of impact

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) targets immune system cells,
decreasing the body’s ability to fight off infections, and can leave people with
untreated HIV infection vulnerable to life threatening illnesses.

In 2019, the UK government pledged to end new infections of HIV by 2032 and achieving this goal required an approach focused on a combination of prevention, testing, treatment and care.
Antiretroviral drugs are an important part of this strategy, allowing people living with HIV to live long, healthy lives and meaning that they can’t transmit the virus to others. These drugs, when taken by people who are HIV negative, also work to
prevent acquisition of HIV. This is known as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP
for short.
UKHSA, and its predecessor organisation, played a key role in the implementation of routine commissioning of HIV PrEP in 2020, including initiating, designing and delivering the PrEP Impact trial (2017-2020) in partnership with Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust and a wide range of partners across the system.

Category of impact	Health impacts, Quality of life impacts, Social impacts