TasP, PEP, and PrEP: New Hope in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

The HIV/AIDS community is currently talking about “ending the AIDS epidemic” or “achieving an AIDS-free generation.” This conversation–optimistic, speculative, and sometimes controversial–focuses on three evidence-based HIV prevention interventions: Treatment as Prevention (TasP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). All three interventions utilize existing anti-retroviral medications to reduce transmission of HIV and prevent new infections in at-risk HIV-negative individuals. Recent research documents the potential efficacy of these interventions and the promise they hold. The purpose of this fact sheet is to explain these interventions, the data that supports them, and how Californians living with and at-risk of HIV infection will be able to access them, with expanded insurance access now available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).