Abstinence from sex and the use of condom may provide a means to prevent HIV infection and AIDS but in an effort to reduce the incidence of HIV infection, which to date affects more than one million individuals in the United States, health officials recommended another preventive measure that they hope can lead to a significant reduction in the prevalence of AIDS and HIV infection in the country.
In May this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that individuals who have increased odds of getting infected with the human immunodeficiency virus such as those who have sexual relationship with HIV-infected individuals and illicit drug users who share needles take the antiretroviral pill Truvada.
Truvada, which is produced by Gilead Sciences, was initially approved and sold as treatment for HIV in already infected individuals in the early 2000s but two years ago, the drug was approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use, a measure for preventing HIV infection which involves taking antiretroviral medicines everyday to reduce risks of becoming HIV-positive.
In a study published in the Science Translational Medicine in September 2012, men who took Truvada everyday were found to be 99 percent protected from HIV. Rate of protection also appeared high in men who took the pills four days per week with 96 percent protection from infection. Men who took the drug twice per week, on the other hand, were found to be 76 percent protected from infection.
The CDC said that taking the pill everyday can protect high risk individuals from contracting HIV and may even reduce the prevalence of HIV infection in the country. "PrEP, used along with other prevention strategies, has the potential to help at-risk individuals protect themselves and reduce new HIV infections in the US," CDC Director Tom Frieden said.
Other health experts have similar views on Truvada saying that the drug plays a crucial role in ending the spread of HIV. Susan Buchbinder, the director of HIV research at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, even described Truvada as a cornerstone in HIV prevention.
"PrEP is going to be one cornerstone of our initiative," Buchbinder said. "It's a really remarkable tool that we need to finally roll out so people can actually use it."
What could potentially hinder the drug from eradicating HIV is its cost. The $13,000 per year cost of using Truvada can be a stumbling block to some who would want to use it.
