PrEP trials still to run in England Justin Sullivan/Getty

THE World Health Organization has added anti-HIV drugs to its list of essential medicines, in a move that turns the spotlight on the UK’s rationing of such drugs.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, involves two drugs in a combined pill that significantly reduces the risk of catching HIV through unprotected sex. Public Health England (PHE) said it was too costly for the NHS – even though it saves money in the long-term because fewer people need lifelong HIV treatment.

PHE said it would begin a 10,000-person trial of the therapy early in the 2017 financial year, but it still hasn’t started.


The WHO’s list of essential medicines should help countries prioritise the provision of vital drugs. Several other countries, such as the US, provide PrEP. Scotland and Wales have recently said they will supply it too.

In England, gay men tend to buy cheap generics online, through websites such as I WantPrEP Now, which works with NHS doctors to check the quality of the medicines.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Essential HIV meds”