California Makes PrEP and PEP Available Without Prescription
Advocate - "Pharmacists in California will be able to dispense HIV prevention drugs without a prescription beginning next year under a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, making the state the first in the nation to allow such an arrangement. - The state is the first in the nation to expand access this way, something advocates say is key for rural and minority populations.
Senate Bill 159 will expand access to the prevention drugs, its backers say, as the need to obtain a prescription is a barrier for many people. The bill authorizes pharmacists to furnish at least a 30-day supply and up to a 60-day supply of drugs used for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, without a prescription, according to a press release from Equality California, a cosponsor of the bill. It also allows them to provide a full course of drugs used for post-exposure prophylaxis, of PEP." (Photo: The Stigma Project/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)