PrEPTECH
Funder
Gilead Sciences
Funding Duration
September 2019 - June 2023
PL
Dr. Rebecca Braun
Description
PrEPTECH is an integrated, technology-based approach to increasing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among young men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration approval of daily oral tenofovir and emtricitabine for PrEP to prevent HIV infection in high-risk individuals, offered a unique opportunity to curb the rising incidence of HIV infection in high-risk groups.
Working closely with the community, YTH co-designed the PrEPTECH digital platform to integrate at-home lab testing, telemedicine appointments, an online pharmacy with at-home delivery, and a medication-adherence system, allowing users to bypass many of the barriers related to stigma, discrimination, and access. Given promising pilot findings, we are now launching a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of PrEPTECH in enhancing PrEP uptake and continuation among adolescent and young adult MSM and transgender women in California and Florida, who are are disproportionately impacted by HIV, yet less likely to receive PrEP. We are also exploring opportunities to launch PrEPTECH in other countries including South Africa and India.
For more information about PrEPTECH, please contact preptech@etr.org.
Website
Citations
Refugio, O. N., Kimble, M. M., Silva, C. L., Lykens, J. E., Bannister, C., & Klausner, J. D. (2019). Brief Report: PrEPTECH: A Telehealth-Based Initiation Program for HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in Young Men of Color Who Have Sex With Men. A Pilot Study of Feasibility. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 80(1). Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/jaids/Fulltext/2019/01010/Brief_Report__PrEPTECH__A_Telehealth_Based.9.aspx
