Prescribing Prep: A Guide to Oral HIV Prophylaxis

Background: Currently, the war on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) focuses on prevention in the forms of condoms, abstinence, and status awareness. However, once an individual is diagnosed with HIV, the focus on prevention switches to treatment. A patient’s knowledge of personal HIV status, use of barrier methods during sexual activity, and adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) can help prevent new infections in the HIV negative population. An additional method to limit seroconversion and subsequent HIV infection from exposure is pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is a commonly utilized PrEP agent; it is generally considered safe, however it is associated with renal, endocrine and bone toxicity. This paper aims to address the risks of PrEP administration in HIV negative patients.Master of Health Scienc