Senator Wiener’s Bill To Expand Over the Counter PrEP Passes Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee

April 10, 2023

SACRAMENTO – In a bipartisan vote, the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee passed Senator Wiener’s bill SB 339, legislation to improve access to PrEP, the preventative HIV medication. The bill addresses implementation issues with Senator Wiener’s SB 159 (2019) that have hampered California’s adoption of PrEP. The bill passed 13-0 and heads next to the Senate Health Committee. In response, Senator Wiener issued the following statement:

“I’m delighted that the Committee advanced this vital legislation in a unanimous and bipartisan vote. We’ve made incredible progress in HIV prevention thanks to PrEP, but barriers to accessing this essential medication have left us with 4,000 new HIV cases per year in California, mostly in communities of color. SB 339 takes lessons learned from other states to remove these barriers to access, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for better access to PrEP as the bill advances.”

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