Now Available: PrEP Data in AtlasPlus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added new data to AtlasPlus, its interactive data visualization tool. Users will now find pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage estimates from 2017 and 2018 available for download and use along with more than 15 years of CDC surveillance data on HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis. PrEP coverage data are available nationally, for states (including Washington, D.C.), and for all Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE)-designated counties.

Expressed as a percentage, PrEP coverage in a given area is defined as the estimated number of people who have been prescribed PrEP during a particular year divided by the estimated number of persons who had indications for PrEP in that year. CDC estimated PrEP coverage based on multiple data sources:

• The estimated number of persons who have been prescribed PrEP (the numerator) comes from IQVIA Real World Data—Longitudinal Prescriptions database, which records prescriptions from retail pharmacies in the United States.
• The estimated number of persons who had indications for PrEP (the denominator) comes from three data sources, including:
  • American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau
  • National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
  • National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS)

Additional information about these data sources, a short description of the calculation of the indicator, and the associated limitations can be found in the technical notes included in AtlasPlus.

PrEP use among people at risk for acquiring HIV dramatically reduces their risk when taken as prescribed. Yet less than 25% of the estimated more than 1 million Americans who could benefit from PrEP are using this important medication. As part of the EHE initiative, state and local communities, in partnership with federal agencies including CDC, will implement strategies to increase access to and use of PrEP—especially among African American and Latino gay and bisexual men, African American women, and other populations disproportionately affected by HIV.

The national goal for PrEP coverage under the EHE initiative is to achieve at least 50% coverage by 2030. The PrEP data now available in CDC’s AtlasPlus can be used to understand the current status of PrEP coverage within EHE jurisdictions and the coverage gap that must be reduced or eliminated to achieve this essential goal.

To help reduce the number of new HIV infections, HHS has launched a new nationwide program called Ready, Set, PrEP. The program provides PrEP medications at no cost to thousands of individuals who qualify. The program will expand access to PrEP medications, reduce new HIV infections, and bring us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. Learn more at https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/ending-the-hiv-epidemic/prep-program.

We are excited to share these new data and hope that they will help guide local efforts as we work together to end the HIV epidemic in America.