Illinois makes HIV drug PrEP more available
As the federal government cuts funding for HIV and AIDS research, Illinois is trying to make HIV prevention meds more available.
Why it matters: Better access to the medication could reduce the risk of contraction for those most at risk — men who have sex with men and Black and Hispanic people.
Driving the news: The Illinois Department of Public Health issued an order allowing Illinoisans to obtain the medication PrEP, which can reduce the risk of contracting HIV through sex by 99% when taken correctly, directly from a pharmacist without first requiring a doctor's prescription.
Flashback: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law in 2022 to allow access to the medication without a prescription, and any pharmacist who wants to offer the medicine must undergo a training program.
"With a large-scale change like this, we needed to ensure that the implementation would be safe, effective, and equitable. That meant engaging local health departments, advocacy groups, pharmacist associations, and sister state agencies to shape a responsible rollout," a spokesperson from IDPH told Axios in a statement.
"We also worked to identify the best ways to monitor program participation and ensure pharmacists were supported with appropriate training and guidance."
The law also specifies that services provided by a pharmacist are covered and reimbursed by insurance at the same rate as when provided by a doctor.
What they're saying: "With threats from the federal government to HIV prevention funding (the HHS draft budget proposed eliminating all — yes, all — HIV prevention funding) it's even more critical to increase the access points where people can get PrEP," AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) president John Peller tells Axios in an email.
AFC has helped implement the law across the state, including training for pharmacists and setting reimbursement rates through Medicaid.
By the numbers: Nearly 23,000 people in Illinois were living with HIV and about 19,000 living with AIDS as of December 2024, the most recent available data from IDPH.
There were more than 1,300 new diagnoses of the virus statewide in 2024, down 9% from the previous year.
Black men make up the most new cases since 2017 at more than 3,500, followed by Hispanic men at 2,700.
The 30-39 age bracket is the most common for both men and women in terms of new cases.
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