Evaluating the effects of pre-exposure prophylaxis on the outcomes of patients who failed HIV prevention

Abstract

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been approved as an effective prevention strategy for HIV infection in high-risk populations. However, little is known about its effects on people who have failed to prevent HIV infection. Based on a proposed mathematical HIV-PrEP model, we examined the effectiveness of different drug responses and PrEP times on patient outcomes. Our result demonstrated a significant interaction between the drug response and patient outcomes. The generalized benefits of PrEP on patient outcomes can be observed in all PrEP groups. The optimal PrEP time might correlate with the clinical pharmacology of the drug. From an epidemiological viewpoint, when the drug response reaches a sufficiently high level, the PrEP strategy can successfully control HIV infection at a population level, even for those people who have failed in preventing HIV infection.