California Governor Signs Access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) by Individuals at High Risk of HIV Transmission Bill (SB 339)

The City of West Hollywood applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom for signing Senator Scott Wiener's Senate Bill 339 (SB 339), which authorizes a pharmacist to furnish up to a 90-day course of preexposure prophylaxis, or preexposure prophylaxis beyond a 90-day course, if specified conditions are met. Previously, the law authorized a pharmacist to furnish at least a 30-day supply of HIV preexposure prophylaxis and up to a 60-day supply of those drugs if certain conditions were met; it also authorized a pharmacist to furnish postexposure prophylaxis to a patient if certain conditions were met. SB 339 requires the California State Board of Pharmacy to adopt emergency regulations to implement these expanded provisions by October 31, 2024.

"There should be no barriers to easily accessing PrEP and PEP at pharmacies," said City of West Hollywood Mayor John M. Erickson. "It's vital that pharmacists are part of the solution in helping to raise awareness about PrEP and PEP without a physician prescription and that community members know that PrEP and PEP can be accessed in a simple and straightforward manner without stigma. These medications literally save lives and I applaud the Governor for signing this bill and Senator Scott Wiener for his leadership."

In 2023, City of West Hollywood staff and officials became aware from anecdotal information in the community that there may have been barriers to easily accessing PrEP and PEP at pharmacies in Los Angeles County and other regions of the state.

In response to this anecdotal information, in February 2023, the City hosted a community listening session during which representatives from community-based organizations such as APLA Health and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, along with pharmacists and community advocates, provided more insights into the existing barriers to accessing PrEP and PEP as stipulated under the 2019 law known as SB 159 HIV: preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis, by Senator Wiener. Even though SB 159 authorized pharmacists to furnish PrEP and PEP without a physician's prescription and prohibits insurance companies from requiring prior authorizations to obtain PrEP coverage, it became evident that national pharmacy chains and local pharmacies may not have been participating in ways the legislation intended.

City of West Hollywood outreach to local pharmacists at that time indicated that many local pharmacists have not taken the California State Board of Pharmacy (CSBP) training to dispense PrEP and PEP and may not have been aware of the training at all. Consistent with the City's ongoing advocacy efforts on this issue, legislative platform, and commitment to stop the spread of HIV, City staff shared some of the input gathered during the community listening session with Senator Wiener's office.

Having easy access to PrEP and PEP and proper adherence to the recommended treatment are just two necessary steps in the efforts to reduce community transmission of HIV. PrEP is a key prevention strategy for ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports fewer than 25% of the approximately one-million Americans who could benefit from PrEP are using this preventative medication. One of the goals of the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative is to have 50% of people who could benefit from PrEP using it by 2025.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a significant impact on the City of West Hollywood. The disease's elevated infection rate among gay men caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the City in the era following the City's founding in 1984. The City of West Hollywood was one of the first government entities to provide social services grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations. The City sponsored one of the first AIDS awareness campaigns in the country in October 1985 and the City's response to the AIDS crisis has been recognized as a model for other cities, nationally and globally.

In 2015, the City of West Hollywood City Council adopted the HIV Zero Strategic Plan. The City Council directed staff to work with social service providers, community clinics, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and other governmental agencies to develop a strategic plan aimed at reducing the rates of transmission and slowing disease progression. The City of West Hollywood's HIV Zero Initiative embraces a vision to "Get to Zero" on many fronts: Zero new infections. Zero progression of HIV to AIDS. Zero discrimination. Zero stigma. The City currently contracts with APLA Health, Healthcare in Action, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Men's Health Foundation, and Planned Parenthood to provide biomedical interventions, such as PrEP and PEP to community members at risk of acquiring HIV.

For more information, please contact Hernán Molina, the City of West Hollywood's Governmental Affairs Liaison, at (323) 848-6364 or at [email protected]. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City's calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. Receive text updates by texting "WeHo" to (323) 848-5000.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood's Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or [email protected].

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