How would it feel if you know you could
go back to the days when you don’t have
to worry when having sexual intercourse?
Exhilarating right? Well now you can.
According to a report, you don’t have to
worry about it anymore. In fact, you don’t
have to have HIV before you deal with it.
With a daily pill, you reduce the risk of
contracting the virus.
The drug is known as the pre-exposure
prophylaxis (PrEP), it has been tried in the
UK and its yielding results.
According to studies via a Proud Trial, the
PrEP has been discovered to cut the risk of
HIV infections most especially amongst the
gay folks as they are known to be the
most prone to the virus by a whooping
86%.
According to reports, PrEP has been
available to at-risk groups in the United
States since 2012. The Proud trial, which
took place across 12 NHS trusts in
Brighton, London, York, Manchester,
Birmingham and Sheffield, was set up to
provide real-world evidence on the pill’s
effectiveness, and to answer outstanding
questions, such as whether providing it
would lead to reduced use of condoms.
The pill used in the trial, Truvada, is a
combination of two antiretroviral drugs
which has previously been used to treat
HIV infection. Developed by Gilead, its
newly established ability to prevent as well
as treat the virus marks a major turning
point in efforts to combat HIV among
high-risk groups. “These results are
extremely exciting and show PrEP is highly
effective at preventing HIV infection in the
real world,” said Sheena McCormack,
professor of clinical epidemiology at the
MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College
London. “Concerns that PrEP would not
work so well in the real world were
unfounded.
As great as this sounds, there is a
presiding financial argument. As its quick
availability is needed, the cost of it still
remains an issue. Professor Simon Barton,
chair of the HIV Clinical Reference Group
for NHS England, which will review the
cost-effectiveness of PrEP, said the Proud
trial findings were “very important”. “The
challenge now is to translate the benefits
demonstrated in the study into practice,”
he said. “We have already begun work to
carefully consider how this treatment
could be delivered equitably and most
efficiently by liaising closely with the Local
Government Association, Public Health
England, clinicians and patient
representatives.”
Dr Michael Brady, medical director of
sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins
Trust, said: “PrEP is, quite simply, a game-
changer…this research shows just how
effective PrEP can be in preventing
transmission of the virus in groups at
greatest risk; offering another line of
defence alongside condoms and regular
testing. It is not a vaccine and it won’t be
for everyone, but once approved, we
expect it to significantly increase the
momentum in our fight against the virus.
Therefore, we urge the Government, NHS
England and local authorities to make PrEP
a key priority in the fight against HIV.”