New Studies Reveal Breakthrough In HIV Prevention

New studies show programs that use antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection are very effective. The findings were released at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle, Washington.

Using HIV-suppressing drugs as a prevention method is called PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis. Supporters say it’s a powerful tool to help stop the spread of the AIDS virus.

Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS advocacy group, AVAC, attended the conference, known as CROI.

“Over the last five years, there is a growing body of evidence that oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is not just good therapy, but it’s good prevention. With the important caveat that like any effective drug it only works if you take it.”

Warren said three PrEP trials proved the effectiveness of Truvada.

“That is the combination pill of tenofovir plus emtricitabine. Most of the research has been around Truvada. It’s a well established drug. We know it’s a very safe drug. It was widely used in antiretroviral therapy for people infected. So, it was the first of the drugs that have been explored for PrEP. There are other drugs being studied for PrEP,” he said.

One of the trials is called the Partners Demonstration Project. It’s based on an earlier study in Kenya and Uganda of so-called “discordant” heterosexual couples. That’s where one partner is HIV positive and the other is not.

Warren said, “This was a project that enrolled new couples – a very large number of couples – in the two countries. And it was offering treatment to the HIV positive partner. But if the partner didn’t want to be on treatment – or if they were on treatment but not yet virally suppressed, which would give protection to their negative partner, as well – the PrEP was provided to the HIV negative partner as a bridge until the positive partner was virally suppressed.”

The study shows the use of PrEP reduced the risk of HIV infection by 96 percent.

Next, there’s the PROUD Study. It was done in Britain among high risk men who have sex with men, or MSM. All in the study were HIV negative.

“One of the important questions of the Proud Study was: would people change their behavior? You know, one of the big concerns over the last several years was that if everyone kind of ran to PrEP they abandon condoms. They would change their behaviors and be riskier. This was another piece of great news. It showed that there was an 86 percent reduction in risk among those people who were offered and took PrEP,” said Warren.

He said the Proud Study also shows there was a similar reduction in risk from other STIs or sexually transmitted infections.

 

Source: VOA News