States with low initial use of HIV-prevention drugs are continuing to fall behind in usage among people at risk for the disease, a new study finds.

Researchers, clinicians and advocates had hoped that late-adopting states would see a surge in HIV prevention uptake once those states joined the prevention effort, but that’s largely not the case, the new research shows. Instead, there are worsening disparities between states that backed the drugs early on and those that did not.

«The low PrEP uptake that we found is concerning because it means that people are not benefiting from an HIV-prevention medication that has been approved and available for almost a decade,» said researcher Kathleen McManus, MD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. «The United States needs innovative interventions at the federal, state and clinic level in order to get PrEP to people who are at high risk of getting HIV.»

Ending the HIV Epidemic

The federal government has set a goal of preventing 250,000 HIV infections over 10 years as part its «Plan to End the HIV Epidemic.» Key to that are state and county-level partnerships to encourage use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. These drugs can prevent HIV infection among people at higher risk for HIV, such as people who have condomless sex and people who inject drugs.

PrEP has been available for nearly a decade — the federal Food and Drug Administration approved it in 2012. Yet usage remains low. Fewer than 20% of people who would benefit from it are taking it, public health officials estimate.

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Materials provided by University of Virginia Health System. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.