Pill Helps Reduce Risk of AIDS

We do not yet have a cure for HIV/AIDS, but a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the drug Truvada may reduce the likelihood of contracting this disease. Researchers randomly assigned 2500 gay or bisexual men living in Latin America, South Africa, Thailand or the U.S. to receive either Truvada or a placebo. All men were HIV negative at the beginning of the study. In addition to pills, each man got condoms and counseling on safer sex practices. After a year, the men using Truvada were 44 percent less likely to have contracted HIV. If they took their pills conscientiously they were able to lower the risk even more.
Experts worry that the high cost of this drug…$36 a day…may put it out of reach for many people who need it. Others are concerned that the possible reassurance of such a medication might lead to reckless behavior in some individuals. They stress that the drug must be used in conjunction with safer sexual behavior.

[NEJM, Online Nov 23, 2010]