Tag: Truvada

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New French Study Indicates Taking PrEP Just Before Sex Could Reduce HIV Infection By 80%

For months now, medical research studies have indicated that taking Truvada, an anti-HIV medication, on a regular basis could effectively deter infection of HIV by over 90%.

Those studies showed that taking the drup at least four days a week on a regular basis could provide effective protection.

Now a new study in France indicates that taking two pills of Truvada just two hours before sex and two single doses within the following 24 hours could reduce the rate of being infected by 80%.

Researchers closed the study early due to the high effectiveness of the drug.

Via AIDS Map:

In an extraordinary development, a second European scientific trial of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has had its randomised phase closed early due to high effectiveness, just two weeks after the UK PROUD trial did exactly the same thing. The investigators of the IPERGAY trial, which has six sites in France and one in Canada, announced today a “Significant breakthrough in the fight against HIV and AIDS” because IPERGAY had successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of its PrEP regimen.

IPERGAY’s early closure is significant not only because it adds confirmation that PrEP can be highly effective, but because it was testing an innovative, intermittent (“on-demand”) PrEP regimen. In this study, participants did not take PrEP daily, but only when they anticipated having sex. The regimen involved taking two pills of Truvada (tenofovir + emtricitabine) twelve hours before anticipated sex and then, if sex happened, two separate one-pill doses the following day. This extends the versatility of PrEP and provides an alternative regimen to daily dosing.

As this is still in research, folks on Truvada daily doses should NOT change their regimen without discussing with their doctors.

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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.

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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

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FDA approves pre-exposure medication for HIV

The FDA has just given the green light to Truvada, the first drug approved to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals.

Taken daily, the drug is being touted as part of a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) strategy, in combination with safer sex practices, to reduce the risk of HIV infection in high-risk adults, including those with HIV-infected partners. The FDA previously allowed Gilead Sciences to manufacture Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for use in conjunction with other antiretroviral agents for HIV-positive people.

“Today’s approval marks an important milestone in our fight against HIV,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg. “Every year, about 50,000 U.S. adults and adolescents are diagnosed with HIV infection, despite the availability of prevention methods and strategies to educate, test, and care for people living with the disease. New treatments as well as prevention methods are needed to fight the HIV epidemic in this country.”

The medication shouldn’t be perceived as a cure or vaccine: Truvada for PrEP is only prescribed fpr individuals who are confirmed to be HIV-negative prior to using the drug. In double-blind studies of 2,499 HIV-negative men and women in high-risk categories, Truveda was effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection by 42% compared with the placebo. There are also potential side-effects including changes in fat distribution in the body and blood, kidney and liver dysfunction and weakening of the bones.

Via Queerty