High Rate of PrEP Discontinuation Seen for Sexual Gender-Minority People

THURSDAY, March 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Among sexual and gender-minority people who initiate preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, the annual rate of discontinuation is between 35 and 40 percent, according to a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs.

Yan Guo, Ph.D., from the City University of New York in New York City, and colleagues examined PrEP discontinuation among sexual and gender-minority individuals who initiated PrEP in a four-year national cohort study.

The researchers found that the annual rate of discontinuation was high (35 to 40 percent) after initiation of PrEP. In a multivariable analysis including 6,410 person-years, housing instability and a prior history of PrEP discontinuation were identified as predictors of discontinuation. Older age, clinical indication for PrEP, and having health insurance were associated with sustained use of PrEP.

"Urgent action is needed to improve PrEP initiation, adherence, and long-term retention in care," the authors write. "PrEP implementation programs and providers of PrEP care should simultaneously assess for risk factors of PrEP discontinuation, including prior history of PrEP discontinuation, social determinants of health (for example, housing instability and lack of health insurance), and younger age."

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