HEALTH
HHS Offers Free PrEP for Uninsured Patients
Advocates call out Gilead for bogus “donation,” not covering enough people
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is touting the agency’s new plan to roll out free PrEP to uninsured folks — but not everyone
is clapping.
BY MATT TRACY
The Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) will utilize donated
HIV prevention drugs and drugstore
services to provide individuals who
lack prescription drug coverage access to free
PrEP, the agency announced on December 3.
The program, branded as “Ready, Set, PrEP,”
provides those who test negative for HIV and
have a prescription PrEP but do not have prescription
drug coverage the ability to receive
free HIV prevention medication donated by
Gilead to the federal government as part of a
deal struck in September to provide enough of
the medication to cover up to 200,000 people
annually for up to 11 years. Under the program,
Rite Aid, Walgreen’s, and CVS Health are donating
dispensing services beginning in May of
next year.
Gilead has not relieved the government of all
costs involved in the program, however. HHS
will shell out $200 per bottle to Gilead for the
costs of transporting the drugs to patients. That
will last until March, then the government will
turn to drug stores for dispensing services and
counseling and search for cheaper ways way to
move the medication from Gilead to those drug
stores, according to The New York Times .
HHS did not directly answer questions about
the program’s long-term fate, but when referring
to the services donated by the drug stores,
HHS told Gay City News “those donations will
take effect no later than the end of the current
Gilead Distribution Agreement, which is March
30, 2020. The agreement lasts for a year with
FLICKR/ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
an option to renew by agreement of the parties.”
HHS did not return subsequent emails seeking
clarifi cation about whether that agreement
referenced by HHS involves only the drug stores
or if Gilead’s donations also last for a year with
options to renew.
The long-term viability of the plan is further
complicated by the government’s lawsuit targeting
Gilead for copyright infringement and the
administration’s search for cheaper ways to distribute
the drugs.
In a press release announcing the news, HHS
described the program as a “key component” of
the federal government’s plan to end the epidemic
and says it will help save lives.
“Thanks to Ready, Set, PrEP, thousands of
Americans who are at risk for HIV will now be
able to protect themselves and their communities,”
HHS Secretary Alex Azar — previously a
pharma executive with Eli Lilly and Company
— said in a written statement.
While “Ready, Set, PrEP” only covers a slice
of those who could benefi t from free PrEP, the
stipulations attached to the program could limit
the pool of potential benefactors. There are
individuals with insurance plans that offi cially
cover prescription drugs but either charge unaffordable
co-pays for medication or force folks
to pay out of pocket until they spend thousands
of dollars to reach a high deductible before more
reasonable prescription costs kick in. Those individuals
would be disqualifi ed from participating
in the program due to their health insurance
coverage, but still struggle to afford steep
prices for PrEP medication.
The requirement of a prescription also comes
with potential barriers for individuals who, due
to lack of insurance, are not able to cough up
hundreds of dollars to pay for doctor visits necessary
to obtain a prescription. Participants
in the HHS program must also cover their lab
work in recommended quarterly doctor visits
while on PrEP.
Advocates voiced skepticism following the
government’s announcement. The PrEP4All
Collaboration, which is a coalition of advocates
calling for PrEP accessibility, did not respond to
requests for comment. But James Krellenstein,
a co-founder for PrEP4All, tweeted, “If the $6
million taxpayers are paying @GileadSciences
to distribute their ‘donation’ was instead used
to pay for lab work and clinical visits for PrEP
patients, we could get 6,000 more people on
PrEP.”
Jason Rosenberg, an activist involved with
ACT UP New York, tore into the program, ripping
Gilead for profi ting on the taxpayers’ dime
and blasting the Trump administration for only
providing assistance to 200,000 uninsured
people.
“This is a band-aid to systemic greed of pharmaceutical
companies,” he said in a tweet on
December 4. “We need to deploy a universal
HIV program that ensures free HIV meds and
PrEP for everyone — not just 200,000. Fuck
this PR stunt.”
Amid widespread criticism over the high
price of medication, patent violation allegations,
and Gilead’s use of taxpayer dollars to fund its
own research to produce expensive drugs, the
pharma giant caved to pressure in May and announced
it would release its patent on Truvada
for PrEP next year. That announcement was
met with disapproval from advocates who said
that development needed to come sooner.
In the meantime, some US states have taken
action aimed at increasing access to PrEP. Governor
Andrew Cuomo of New York in July outlined
requirements for insurers abiding by state
regulation to provide PrEP and HIV screenings
without charging out-of-pocket costs. Those
plans include Obamacare and employer-sponsored
group policies, but the benefi t does not
extend to those with corporate self-funded
plans and out-of-state plans.
California’s State Legislature has also pushed
back against barriers to PrEP by launching a
legislative effort to offer HIV prevention drugs
without a prescription. That measure was
passed and signed into law by Governor Gavin
Newsom in October.
Learn more details about the Ready, Set,
PrEP program, including eligibility details, at
GetYourPrEP.com or call 855-447-8410.
December 5 - December 1 18 8, 2019 | GayCityNews.com
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