01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
I'd guess most folks here don't know the Dominican Republic was the first Caribbean country to use PrEP, the HIV vaccine treatment, and has been using it since 2107.
Reducing the risk of infection of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by more than 90%, in a preventive way, is the main objective of the use of a new pilot treatment that is carried out in the Dominican Republic since 2017, called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis, by its acronym in English).
The commercial name of this medicine approved in 2012 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is Truvada (brand developed by Gilead Sciences of tenofovir and emtricitabine).
The use of this preventive medication is for people who do not have HIV. The effectiveness of PrEP is further enhanced when other prevention measures such as condoms are used.
"PrEP is not for people who already have HIV but for those who do not have it and have had a test that is negative," said epidemiologist Robert Paulino, of the Center for Integrative Research and Guidance (COIN).
Population with HIV
According to the United Nations Office for HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS), by 2017 in the Dominican Republic 67 thousand people were living with HIV, of this amount, 50 thousand are diagnosed, while about 17 thousand do not know that they have the virus.
"Not everyone can access this program, it has a cap of people per province. What we are looking for with this study is to see if the country has the resources to supply the vulnerable population with this type of preventive medicine, "said Dr. Santo Rosario, executive director of COIN.
He said that currently this drug is in experimental stage in the country.
The use of PrEP is being implemented in the United States since 2012, focusing on the population at greatest risk to contract the virus. In Europe and Asia, this new drug has also been offered, in Latin America, Brazil and Mexico were two of the first countries to implement it as a prevention strategy. While in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic was the first to offer the drug in 2017.
The first PrEP implementation pilot was carried out at the initiative of the Ministry of Public Health, through the General Directorate of STI / HIV Control (Digecitss), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PEPFAR, the Center of Orientation and Integral Research (COIN), the Ibero-American University (Unibe) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO / WHO).
So far 170 people are part of the HIV prevention program at the COIN, which is located on Aníbal de Espinosa street # 352, in Villas Agrícolas, Distrito Nacional. In the next months it will expand towards Puerto Plata and La Romana.
As explained by the COIN epidemiologist, Robert Paulino, the treatment consists in the administration of antiretroviral drugs (which are used in the treatment for HIV infection), in people who could have some risk contact and who have had a test of HIV that demonstrate that they are negative for the infection. PrEP is a prevention strategy to prevent the proliferation of the disease and must be used with adequate clinical follow-up.
PrEP can cause some side effects such as nausea, loss of appetite or headaches. These usually improve over time, once your body gets used to the drug. But most people do not experience any.
"PrEP is not a panacea, it is not the solution to the elimination of HIV, the solution is for people who have the virus to be diagnosed and take their medication so that it becomes undetectable and can not infect other people," he emphasized. Dr. Rosario.
He said that the use of this preventive drug is only effective to prevent the spread of HIV, so it is necessary to use condoms to prevent other sexually transmitted diseases.
Those interested in participating in the program have to go to the COIN to make the corresponding evaluations, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
This pilot is financed by the National Program to Fight AIDS, the Ministry of Public Health and the COIN. Patients do not have to pay for exams that are performed, nor for medicines, care is offered free of charge.
Who should use PrEP?
The candidates with priority to access this program are those who are at risk of contagion, those who are having sex outside of a relationship with different people without the use of condoms, sex workers, those who use injected substances, among others. .
• You do not use condoms frequently.
• You have a sexual partner with HIV (sometimes called serodiscordant, serodifferent, magnetic, or mixed status couples).
• You have a sexual partner at high risk of contracting HIV (for example, if you have anal or vaginal sex with other people without a condom, or are injecting drug users).
• You have anal or vaginal sex with many partners, especially if you do not use condoms regularly.
• You recently had another STI (such as chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis).
• You perform sex work that includes vaginal or anal sex.
• You have injected drugs, shared needles, or have been under treatment for drug use in the last 6 months.
If you are in a high risk group for HIV contraction and you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding, PrEP can help you and your baby avoid HIV infection.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Yeah and I considered it since there is a slight risk of catching it from a girl.
And also since I always forget to pack condoms on my Philippine trips...
Then I looked into it.
In the US PrEP is $1600/month with insurance!!!
List price is $2,000/month.
But if I went to Thailand I can walk into the RedCross in Bangkok, take a test, wait a couple hours and get a 30 day supply for 900 baht or a little over $28...
Or in the UK it's £56 ($72) for 3 months supply.
And I'm sure I could come up with a dozen other civilized countries.
Did I mention before how the US leads the world.
/sarcasm off
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Don Tomas
In the US PrEP is $1600/month with insurance!!!
List price is $2,000/month.
But if I went to Thailand I can walk into the RedCross in Bangkok, take a test, wait a couple hours and get a 30 day supply for 900 baht or a little over $28...
The costs in a private clinic are usually ~$100 for 3 months.
Did I mention before how the US leads the world.
/sarcasm off
$28 is a great price.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jimmydr
$28 is a great price.
and when they make $3 a day they cant afford it...……… kinda like the usa most people there cant afford the $2000 per month either
drug companies keep prices artificially high and out of reach for most poor working people:eek:
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
whynotme
and when they make $3 a day they cant afford it...……… kinda like the usa most people there cant afford the $2000 per month either
drug companies keep prices artificially high and out of reach for most poor working people:eek:
That is why we travel.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
whynotme
and when they make $3 a day they cant afford it...……… kinda like the usa most people there cant afford the $2000 per month either
drug companies keep prices artificially high and out of reach for most poor working people:eek:
True but I'm betting most people in the UK can afford £56 ($72) every 3 months.
It's the US laws giving corporations carte blanche especially drug companies that's the problem.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jimmydr
That is why we travel.
The transition from monger to medical tourist is a long, lonely walk...
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jimmydr
That is why we travel.
I know you didn't mean this with your comment, but the problem with getting PrEP overseas is the effectiveness.
It is effective in rectal tissue long before the rest of the body.
It's only 7 days if you like getting fucked up the ass.
Not judging, whatever floats your boat.
It's 20 days for it to protect the rest of the body, like blood cells and other genital tissues.
So for most of us our vacation is over before it even kicks in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greydread
The transition from monger to medical tourist is a long, lonely walk...
The subject of HIV came up with my GP. He told me I had to be careful or all my money would be gone if I ever caught it.
He is Indian so he was still quite surprised when I said if I ever caught HIV I would just travel to a civilized country like India where AIDS medications are practically free. Sure the plane fare would cost money but I would save on the meds.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Don Tomas
The subject of HIV came up with my GP. He told me I had to be careful or all my money would be gone if I ever caught it.
He is Indian so he was still quite surprised when I said if I ever caught HIV I would just travel to a civilized country like India where AIDS medications are practically free. Sure the plane fare would cost money but I would save on the meds.
My GP told me that they had pills in the US and it would be no big deal. He was more concerned with me getting off of Nexium
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greydread
The transition from monger to medical tourist is a long, lonely walk...
I mean to get things cheaper.
My Cialis was dirt cheap, as is the dayafter pills.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Can you buy PrEP over the counter in DR? What do they call it there aka pharmacy name?
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DaManHawaii
Can you buy PrEP over the counter in DR? What do they call it there aka pharmacy name?
Lots of stuff goes by same name so write it down and show them. They may pronunce it different.
Re: 01/2019 - Have you heard of PrEP?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DaManHawaii
Can you buy PrEP over the counter in DR? What do they call it there aka pharmacy name?
Based on that the OP posted about a current study in the DR. I am quite sure they would want to control the study until they are satisfied with the results.
So I would doubt that Truvada or it's generics are available in pharmacies yet.
Actually I would doubt it is available anywhere OTC because if you take it and you have HIV already you just fucked up really really bad! The virus will mutate and become resistant to treatment, also that mutant strain will infect others on Truvada.
You have to get an HIV test every refill (aka 3 months).
