Background: On-demand preexposure prophylaxis may reduce one's risk of HIV acquisition; however, it is unclear if individuals with a very low frequency of HIV exposures are conferred adequate protection. We evaluated a novel approach dubbed HIV postexposure prophylaxis-in-pocket ("PIP"), for individuals with a low frequency of high-risk HIV exposures.
Setting: Two HIV clinics in Toronto, Canada, managing HIV prevention cases.
Methods: A retrospective evaluation of patients referred to HIV clinics for preexposure prophylaxis between January 1, 2013, and September 30, 2017, inclusive. After counseling and education, selected patients were initiated on PIP if they were having very infrequent HIV exposures.
Results: Thirty patients were prescribed PIP. Four patients (13.3%) used PIP during this study. There were no HIV seroconversions in 21.8 cumulative patient-years of PIP.
Conclusions: PIP may be a useful HIV prevention modality for individuals with a very low frequency of HIV exposures.