PrEPster welcomes NHS England PrEP IMPACT Trial funding commitment

PrEPster welcomes today’s commitment from NHS England to fund additional places on the England PrEP IMPACT Trial. The IMPACT Trial was launched in October 2017, with the 13,000 places on the Trial rapidly filling up. Trial researchers have made a request for places on the Trial to be increased to 26,000. In today’s announcement NHS England has committed to funding additional places in line with existing funding arrangements.

Will Nutland, co-founder of PrEPster said: “It became clear very early on that demand for the Trial would rapidly outstrip the places available. We know of people who have been turned away from Trial sites and then gone on to contract HIV. Given all the international evidence on the efficacy of PrEP it’s the right move for places on the IMPACT Trial in England to be significantly increased, and PrEPster welcomes today’s commitment from NHS England.”

“We now encourage all parties to agree the increase in Trial places and for local authorities to move as swiftly as possible to approve additional Trial places in their localities. We call for sexual health clinics to be supported in providing PrEP to those who need it, as soon as possible. We will continue to press for PrEP to be available to everyone who needs it as part of routine commissioning, at the earliest opportunity.”

Josina Calliste, PrEPster’s Strategic Lead for Women said: “We welcome the commitment to fund increases in Trial places and this is testimony to the work of the dozens of activists who put pressure on NHS England. We need to increase efforts to ensure that everyone who could benefit from PrEP – especially women – know about PrEP and can easily access sexual health services.”

PrEPster, in partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust, National Aids Trust, iwantprepnow and the United4PrEP coalition, has been campaigning for an increase in Trial places, and for routine commissioning of PrEP.

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