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Pills may soon rival condoms in HIV prevention

Published time: May 15, 2012 04:06
Edited time: May 15, 2012 08:06
Pills may soon rival condoms in HIV prevention (AFP Photo / Getty Images)

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Health, Sex, USA

An antiviral drug Truvada may soon become the next solution to HIV prevention, while scientists continue to dig for a vaccine. The FDA is likely to approve the medicine for ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis’ by June 15.

Truvada is a trade-name for a combination of two antiviral drugs produced by an American biopharmaceutical company in California. Since 2004, it has been widely prescribed to people already infected with HIV. However, an expert committee at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended last week that the medicine be offered daily to uninfected people to prevent them from being infected.

"It's potentially a valuable addition to the existing HIV prevention methods, and we welcome it," New Scientist quoted a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization. "Full FDA approval will encourage countries needing additional prevention methods to undertake their own regulatory approval processes. The WHO is in the process of producing new guidance to countries on pre-exposure prophylaxis, and plans to release this in the coming two months."

It is expected that the primary “target groups” for such preventive treatment would be homosexual men and uninfected partners in couples where one individual is HIV-positive. If approved by the FDA, the use of Truvada for prevention rather than treatment could scale up the overall efforts in the battle to stop the spread of HIV.

And yet, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein is weary of how people will use the pill.

"I believe that this could be catastrophic in terms of HIV prevention,” he warns.

The argument against approving the pill, says Weinstein, is that it will encourage unprotected sex. While the pill is proven to work in many cases, it is not 100 per cent guaranteed. The result, he says, could only make things worse for AIDS and HIV.

It is worth of mentioning, however, that the FDA has a tendency to accept the advice of its expert committees.

Comments (7)

carlo (unregistered) 15.05.2012 20:35

Dont be so happy (unregistered) wrote in #6
Unprotect ed sex  because of this "pill" ?

Hepatis B will kill you sooner or later. You will get awful ill for months with a yellowish face and a swollen liver. Depending on your state of health and age your chances of dying are between 20 and 100%.

Herpes. Once you get it, it will stay forever, rising and hiding depending on the mood. Your genitals will get awful infected spots that will make you ill and feverish, not to mention what would happen if you get it in your mouth. You will not be able to go out to the street. Type "genital herpes mouth" in google images and freak out.

Gonorrhe a, genital warts, syphillis etc etc etc.

Plus, I would not trust the pill against AIDS, it will fail at an unknown moment. The virus will adapt itself to whatever you give him. The virus has inborn intelligence. It mutates to bypass all attacks of drugs. It is a satanic creature.
you re right buddy but at least you can tell who is infected with those disceases unless you are blind but you cant really tell about aids , some people eve say that aids is a hoax :/

+1

Undo

Dont be so happy (unregistered) 15.05.2012 16:31

Unprotected sex  because of this "pill" ?

Hepatis B will kill you sooner or later. You will get awful ill for months with a yellowish face and a swollen liver. Depending on your state of health and age your chances of dying are between 20 and 100%.

Herpes. Once you get it, it will stay forever, rising and hiding depending on the mood. Your genitals will get awful infected spots that will make you ill and feverish, not to mention what would happen if you get it in your mouth. You will not be able to go out to the street. Type "genital herpes mouth" in google images and freak out.

Gonorrhe a, genital warts, syphillis etc etc etc.

Plus, I would not trust the pill against AIDS, it will fail at an unknown moment. The virus will adapt itself to whatever you give him. The virus has inborn intelligence. It mutates to bypass all attacks of drugs. It is a satanic creature.

+6

Undo

Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! (unregistered) 15.05.2012 16:24

Time for rampant promiscuity and unlimited sex again, like in the 60's!!!

+4

Undo

View all comments (7)
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