First HIV PEP/PrEP Centre In Europe Is To Open In Barcelona

The First in Europe PEP/PrEP Center will be opened in September 2017. Barcelona Checkpoint has initiated the construction of the Center to be named ’Barcelona PrEPPoint,’ the primary purpose of which will be the popularization of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV — PEP and PrEP.

"This center will be devoted to the PrEP distribution and control after the permission of the Ministry of Health will be received," explained to Europa Press Ferran Pujol, director of the BCN Checkpoint. He added that this is a private initiative, but he hopes that the Generalitat and the City of Barcelona will support a project aimed at putting an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Barcelona.

The center will also host studies on this pill, such as the 'Discover' international clinical trial, which will boost the Checkpoint BCN in Spain, Bellvitge Hospital and the Sandoval Health Center in Madrid, in addition to other studies in the appoval process by the Department of Health Of the Generalitat.

"We are delaying the expansion of PrEP prescribing while everyone agrees except the political class," Pujol has criticized delaying the PrEP programs approval, while every day there are infections in younger people that could be protected. He also remarked, that BCN Chekpoint diagnoses about three and four new HIV cases each week.