Tag: PrEP

Posted on

New study indicates PrEP could offer 100% protection

At the International AIDS Conference, currently taking place in Melbourne, Australia, the results of a study showing the efficacy of Truvada to prevent new infections of HIV were released.

The news appears to be very good.  Apparently, a dosage of at least 4 times a week can offer 100% protection against new infections.

Tested on more than 1 600 HIV-negative men, including gay men, bisexuals, transgender women and men-sleeping-with men (MSM) at 11 research sites on four different continents, the latest study found that PrEP provided 100 percent protection among participants who took the pill four times or more every week. Those who took the pill two or three times a week registered a protection rate of about 84 percent. Those who took fewer than two tablets in the same period had no protection at all.

Carried out by the US-based National Institute of Health over an 18-month period in Chicago, San Fransisco, Boston, Thailand, Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town, among other sites, researchers are convinced that using pre-exposure prophylaxis could save lives of high-risk populations. ay men are regarded as the key population or at highest risk of HIV infection and transmission. At the conference it also emerged that while the HIV/Aids burden was declining in parts of the world, HIV infection among gay men was increasing.

Taking Truvada on a daily basis as a preventative against HIV infection (a practice known as PrEP) has been around since 2010. But there have been questions about long-term side-effects from taking the drug.

Posted on

New campaign by CDC to encourage open communication about HIV

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

After the first smile, that wink, the flirtation — but before the play, and even before the foreplay — something else ought to be on your mind.

Start Talking. Stop HIV., CDC’s national campaign created by and for gay and bisexual men, promotes open communication about HIV prevention among sexual partners and encourages men in all types of relationships to talk about: HIV testing, their HIV status, condom use, and medicines that help prevent and treat HIV.

For conversation starters, click here.

Start Talking in an effort to Stop HIV among gay and bisexual men. Join the conversation on Facebook.

Posted on

Centers for Disease Control issue new guidelines recommending PrEP to avoid HIV infection

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a new set of guidelines for the use of PrEP as an HIV preventative after having determined that PrEP is up to 90% effective for HIV prevention.

Said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention:

While a vaccine or cure may one day end the HIV epidemic, PrEP is a powerful tool that has the potential to alter the course of the U.S. HIV epidemic today. These guidelines represent an important step toward fully realizing the promise of PrEP. We should add to this momentum, working to ensure that PrEP is used by the right people, in the right way, in the right circumstances.

The CDC recommends PrEP along with condom use for the most effective preventative from infection.

Posted on

New York State Dept of Health endorses Truvada to prevent new infections

The New York State Department of Health has approved use of the HIV medication Truvada to try to prevent new HIV infections.

From DNAinfo:

After months of anticipation, the Health Department’s AIDS Institute released thorough clinical guidelines for pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, which is a daily dose of HIV medication that people who are HIV-negative but at-risk of contracting the virus can take to drastically reduce their chance of infection.

The drug, known by its prescription name Truvada, can reduce the chance of infection by as much as 73 percent, according to studies funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

However, the AIDS Institute stressed that PrEP alone was not enough to prevent new infections.

“PrEP should not be offered as a sole intervention for HIV prevention. PrEP should only be prescribed as part of a comprehensive prevention plan,” the report says.

The state report recommends that doctors work with community AIDS organizations to identify high-risk individuals who could benefit from PrEP, then after discussing it with them, begin a 30-day trial before figuring out a longer-term plan.

While certainly anything that can slow down or prevent new infections is a good thing, my only concern reading this is people may take the drug thinking they are impervious to infection and possibly take part in unsafe sex practices.

Also, the drug Truvada costs between $8,000-14,000 a year. That’s quite the heavy hit on someone’s budget when condoms are much cheaper and have a better history of preventing infection.

I applaud the expansion of protections and admit I’m not smart enough to have all the answers. I’m just a little wary for folks who may think they have it covered by taking this pill.

Just my .02