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 for a large scale clinical trial of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, if he will make it his policy to monitor the prescriptions rates of post-exposure prophylaxis after sexual exposure (PEPSE) during the three year PrEP trial in order to assess the effect of increased PrEP use on (a) the demand for PEPSE and other post-exposure prophylaxis and (b) the effect on costs to the NHS of potential changes in PEPSE and other post-exposure prophylaxis prescriptions.

The arrangements for the clinical trial on pre-exposure prophylaxis are being developed between NHS England and Public Health England. Issues around reaching high risk groups and eligibility criteria will be addressed as part of that planning.

NHS England will take steps to monitor the impact of the trial on costs of antiretroviral drugs for post exposure prophylaxis.