California makes HIV prevention meds easier to get

California will become the first state to allow people to buy HIV prevention pills without a prescription. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the change to state law Monday. It will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

How do the drugs work? The medications covered under the bill include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill for HIV-negative people who think they might come in contact with the disease, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which people can take up to 72 hours after exposure. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco who is gay, co-sponsored the bill and said he takes the pre-exposure pill to prevent HIV. Under the new law, patients can take the medicine for 60 days before they must get a prescription from a doctor.

Dig deeper: Read Laura Edghill’s report in Schooled about Arizona overturning a state law requiring that AIDS and HIV instruction in schools follow a traditional sexual ethic.