Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the announcement by NHS England of 4 December 2016 on a large-scale clinical trial of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, how his Department plans to review progress during that trial; whether his Department plans to publish interim results of that trial; and whether his Department plans to fully commission PrEP before the end of the trial in the event that preliminary evidence shows it to be (a) effective at reducing HIV transmission, (b) cost effective and (c) affordable.

NHS England and Public Health England are working to finalise the clinical trial protocol and trial governance. This will determine the appropriate research framework for reviewing progress during the trial and publication of interim results. This will also clarify the amount and duration of drug used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Decisions concerning future commissioning will be taken once answers to the key outstanding questions become available, such as what may be the extent of PrEP uptake by those at high HIV-risk and the duration of use.