HIV/AIDS has come a long way from being the death sentence it once was, and a local service organization is instating an innovative new program to bring the epidemic through another evolution.
FIGHT’s Jonathan Lax Treatment Center and Youth-Health Empowerment Project are launching the city’s first Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Program, a prevention initiative aimed at young HIV-negative men who have sex with men.
Each participant will also begin a regimen of Truvada, the first-ever drug designed for HIV-prevention, which was originally introduced in 2004.
PrEP will consist of in-person group meetings in which the participants will discuss HIV stigma, healthy living, leadership development and other topics.
The 15-member group will range in age from 18-29.
Dr. Helen Koenig, physician at the Jonathan Lax Center, along with Noel Ramirez, health-education program coordinator at the Dorothy Mann Center, will spearhead the project.
Koenig noted that the center has seen an influx of young men of color coming in, newly diagnosed with HIV. She hopes that PrEP will help stymie this trend.
“We wanted to be able to offer PrEP to this young high-risk population as soon as possible, and with as high a likelihood as possible that we could get them to take the medication regularly, as we know that you have to take it almost daily in order for it to work,” she said.
Koenig said FIGHT has been working to implement such a program for a long time. The agency teamed up with Ramirez, who will lead the weekly groups.
“Noel headed up SWEAT, a very popular support group for young men of color who are HIV-positive, and we are extremely excited that he has adapted this program for HIV-negative young men,” she said.
Koenig also noted FIGHT executive director Jane Shull has been a strong proponent of the program.
Truvada will be free to all participants.
FIGHT will obtain the medication from manufacturer Gilead’s patient-assistance program. The medication will be provided for six months and is renewable.
Koenig envisions the program lasting at least a year.
“Philadelphia FIGHT will ensure that all participants will get all their medications continuously, meaning that we will fund medications in case of delays or overturned patient-assistance applications,” she said.
Truvada, a medium-sized pill, is taken once daily and has minimal side effects that can include nausea and headaches.
“These usually resolve within the first two weeks as your body gets accustomed to the medication,” Koenig said.
The program is seeking volunteers and will specifically reach out to high-risk populations.
“We will be asking some of our patients if they have partners who are interested in being treated, and we will also be recruiting young men through our social-networking and counseling/testing initiatives,” Koenig said. “However, anyone who is interested should contact us.”
Koenig and her staff will provide medical supervision.
“Participants will be tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and several sexually transmitted diseases at the program’s start and prior to initiating PrEP. We will also be checking a blood test that makes sure that their kidneys are healthy,” she said.
Koenig and staff will test for STDs and kidney failure every three months. HIV testing will be done with an oral swab every month.
“We will monitor participants’ health very closely throughout the program, and we will provide [participants] free primary care and preventive-health interventions as well, as it is likely that they may not have health insurance or another primary-care provider,” Koenig said.
The intervention is groundbreaking, she said.
“This is the first program of its kind to be offered in Philadelphia, outside of a research setting. The program is innovative as it allows HIV providers, who are familiar with the medications and possible side effects, to provide medical expertise and supervision for a program, while not requiring young men to come to an HIV practice site to get their medications.”
For more information, email Koenig at [email protected].