Advancing Long-Acting PrEP in Practice: Primary Care and Pharmacy Strategies for HIV Prevention

See how PrEP blocks HIV, who benefits most, and why access gaps hit women, youth, and the South—plus ways to close them.

Patients rarely ask about PrEP unless someone asks first. The faculty describe how primary care clinicians and community pharmacists can open the conversation with confidence and without judgment.

Confirming HIV-negative status before starting PrEP, and at every follow-up, protects against partial treatment and drug resistance. The faculty compare testing strategies across clinical and pharmacy settings.

A gap between perceived and actual risk, messaging that has not reached women, and long drive times to a prescriber all limit PrEP uptake. The faculty examine what sustains PrEP deserts and how to bridge them.

Every clinician can prescribe or refer for PrEP. The faculty outline the education, team structures, and community outreach that build prescriber confidence, and explain why HIV prevention still matters in the treatment era.

Four approved PrEP options now span daily pills and long-acting injections. The faculty review how each agent works and where daily oral PrEP succeeds or falls short in practice.

Long-acting cabotegravir and lenacapavir both deliver near-complete protection. The faculty compare dosing schedules, drug interactions, and injection site reactions, and share techniques that make injections easier to tolerate.

A single-injection crossover study suggested participants preferred cabotegravir over lenacapavir. The faculty explain why they view the findings as a counseling aid rather than a reason to favor one agent.

Fear that a pill bottle signals HIV or promiscuity still keeps patients from PrEP. The faculty discuss how long-acting options may ease stigma and adherence anxiety, and what acceptability data show so far.

Long-acting PrEP succeeds only with the right infrastructure. The faculty detail the benefits, nursing, and quality teams a clinic needs, and the staffing and reimbursement pharmacies require to furnish PrEP sustainably.

Annual injections, every-4-month dosing, and a once-monthly pill could reshape HIV prevention. Yet the faculty agree the most powerful step remains asking every patient about sexual health and PrEP.