Report on the PrEP in NSW Transition Study, 2018–2020

This is a report on the findings from the PrEP in NSW Transition Study. Over the period August 2018 to March 2020, 2,344 people who had been offered HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of the Expanded PrEP Implementation in Communities New South Wales (EPIC-NSW) trial agreed to be followed-up for a further 12 months as part of the PrEP in NSW Transition Study. This was to help us understand how people transitioned out of a PrEP implementation trial to receiving PrEP through general practice and standard-of-care prescribing, and any associated changes in behaviour, attitudes or engagement with sexual health.

Key findings
  • Most participants continued to use PrEP for at least 12 months after the end of the EPIC-NSW trial.
  • More than 10% of participants who were still using PrEP one year after the end of the EPIC-NSW trial had taken a break from it for at least a week once their enrolment in the trial finished.
  • Almost all (85-95%) participants intended to use PrEP daily and participants on average reported being about 90% adherent to their preferred PrEP dosing schedule.
  • After the end of EPIC-NSW, participants mostly bought their PrEP from local pharmacies rather than online.
  • Participants were interested in novel delivery methods for PrEP like injectables and implants, and only one-fifth said that their preferred option would be a daily pill if alternative dosing methods were available and equally effective.
Report on the PrEP in NSW Transition Study, 2018–2020 1.36 MB pdf
Report contact
Year published
2020
Report type
Research reports
Research program
HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program
Focus areas
HIV
Research strengths
Epidemiology and surveillance
Public health interventions
Social and behavioural sciences
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