High Court says NHS England responsible for PrEP coverage

NHS England plans to appeal a U.K. High Court ruling giving it authority to cover the use of HIV therapy Truvada emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate from Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent sexually acquired HIV. NHS England had chosen not to cover PrEP therapy because it did not believe it had the legal power to do so.

NHS England had argued that local authorities should assume responsibility for preventative medicine related to sexually transmitted diseases, and that under its governing legislation, NHS England may not perform "public health functions" carried out by local authorities. ...