Earlier this month, pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences announced that it will donate enough HIV prevention drug Truvada to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to benefit 200,000 people at risk for HIV.
While news of the announcement was met positively, it also came ahead of some other negative headlines surrounding the drugmaker, coupled with cautions from the medical community.
Health experts warn that better access to medications is just one piece in the very large puzzle of stopping HIV transmission in the United States.
It all underscores just how complex tackling HIV has been in the past and continues to be in the present.
The promise for better PrEP access
“We are proud to partner with CDC to dramatically expand access to medication that can help prevent new HIV infections,” Gregg Alton, chief patient officer of Gilead Sciences, said in the company’s statement in early May.
“We believe today’s donation, combined with efforts to address the root causes of the epidemic, such as racism, violence against women, stigma, homophobia, and transphobia, can play an important role in ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, particularly in parts of the country with the highest burden of disease.”