Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (prep)

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of antiretroviral medication by people who are HIV-negative but at substantial risk of infection, taken before potential exposure to prevent the establishment of HIV. By maintaining drug concentrations in blood and mucosal tissue, PrEP inhibits viral reverse transcription a…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 5 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 22× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2324-7339 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of antiretroviral medication by people who are HIV-negative but at substantial risk of infection, taken before potential exposure to prevent the establishment of HIV. By maintaining drug concentrations in blood and mucosal tissue, PrEP inhibits viral reverse transcription and replication so that the virus cannot establish a productive infection following exposure. It is delivered most commonly as a daily oral combination regimen, with event-driven and long-acting injectable options expanding the available modalities, and is offered within a broader prevention package that includes regular HIV testing, screening and treatment for other sexually transmitted infections, and adherence support. Effectiveness is strongly dependent on consistent use, which makes adherence and retention central concerns, particularly among populations facing structural and social barriers such as female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and other groups with elevated incidence. Implementation research examines awareness, acceptability, and uptake, as well as the practical determinants of provider screening, patient identification, and linkage to PrEP within primary care and community settings. Recruitment and engagement of priority populations, including cisgender women in high-incidence contexts, remain important for equitable access. As a biomedical prevention tool, PrEP complements condoms, treatment-as-prevention, and behavioral interventions within combination HIV-prevention strategies aimed at reducing new infections.

Research published in this journal

5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 5 articles above have been cited 22 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (prep), linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Clinical Research In HIV AIDS And Prevention (ISSN 2324-7339).

Journal editorial board
Manoj Sarma · United States Mohammed Merzah · Hungary Marta Talavera · Spain

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.