How PrEP Became the Most Effective Tool for Ending HIV

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, is the most significant development in HIV prevention. Today, PrEP can dramatically reduce the risk of acquiring HIV, but its history began with a relatively simple idea: could medicines used to treat HIV also be taken by people who do not have HIV to prevent infection?

Researchers began studying whether HIV medicines could prevent infection before exposure. A major step came in 2010, when studies showed that antiretroviral medicines could help prevent HIV. The CAPRISA 004 study in South Africa found that a vaginal gel containing tenofovir reduced the risk of HIV infection among women who used it. That same year, the iPrEx study found that a daily pill containing tenofovir and emtricitabine reduced the risk of HIV among men who have sex with men. The study also showed that taking PrEP consistently was important for it to work well.

These results helped lead to the first approval of PrEP in the United States. In July 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada, a combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine, for use as PrEP. Truvada had originally been approved as a treatment for HIV in 2004. Its approval for prevention was an important change because it gave people without HIV a medication they could take to reduce their risk of becoming infected.

PrEP options continued to expand. In 2019, the FDA approved Descovy, another daily pill, for PrEP for certain people at risk of getting HIV through sex. In 2021, the FDA approved Apretude, the first long-acting injectable PrEP medication in the United States. It is given as an injection every two months after the initial doses, providing an alternative to taking a daily pill.

PrEP took another major step forward in 2025. The FDA approved Yeztugo, which contains lenacapavir, as a PrEP option. It is given as an injection every six months after an initial oral dose. This gives people another choice for HIV prevention and reduces the need for frequent medication.

The history of PrEP shows how HIV prevention has changed over time. What began as research into using HIV medicines for prevention has developed into several options, including daily pills and long-acting injections. These advances have given people more ways to protect themselves from HIV. If you are interested in starting PrEP, MISTR is an online platform that makes the process simple, fast, and from home. 

About MISTR

MISTR is a gay-owned and operated online platform that brings together doctors, pharmacists, and industry minds to provide resources and PrEP to folks in need. Instead of relying on insurance providers to approve the purchase of PrEP, MISTR cuts out the middleman to help people get their prescriptions covered.

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