Newsom signs bill making HIV prevention meds available without prescription

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Tuesday that makes medication preventing HIV available to residents without a prescription.

The bill, S.B. 339, authorizes pharmacists to furnish preexposure prophylaxis, commonly called PrEP, a drug that helps prevent HIV infection prior to exposure, as well as postexposure prophylaxis, a drug used for patients exposed to HIV, if specified conditions are met.

The bill was introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) and will allow pharmacists to distribute the drugs without a prescription. Wiener said in a statement that while there have been “massive strides in HIV treatment,” the state still sees about 4,000 new infections each year, particularly in communities of color.