Anti-HIV pill draws near
Thai experts say Truvada risks cutting condom use
- Published: 12 May 2012 at 01.03
- Online news: Local News
The first drug shown to prevent HIV infection has won the endorsement of a panel of US federal advisers, clearing the way for a potentially landmark victory in the 30-year fight against the virus that causes Aids.
A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel on Thursday recommended approval of the daily pill Truvada for people at risk of contracting HIV, including gay and bisexual men as well as heterosexual couples with a HIV-positive partner.The US FDA is not required to follow the panel's advice, though it usually does. A final decision is expected by June 15.California-based Gilead Sciences Inc has marketed Truvada since 2004 as a treatment for people who are infected with the virus. The medication is a combination of two older HIV drugs, Emtriva and Viread. Doctors usually prescribe it as part of a drug cocktail to repress the virus.The panelists, however, raised a number of concerns created by the first drug to prevent HIV. In particular, the panel debated whether Truvada might lead to reduced use of condoms, the most reliable defence against HIV infection.Panelists struggled to outline steps that would ensure patients take the pill every day. In clinical trials, patients who did not take their medication diligently were not protected.Panelists stressed that people should be tested to make sure they do not have HIV before starting therapy with Truvada. Patients who already have the virus and begin taking Truvada could develop a resistance to the drug, making the disease even more difficult to treat.But Truvada's groundbreaking preventive ability has exposed stark disagreements on prevention among those in the HIV community. While Truvada's supporters say the drug is an important new option, critics worry that the drug could give users a false sense of security, and encourage risky behaviour.The Aids Healthcare Foundation, which opposes approval of Truvada, estimates that 20 HIV-positive patients could be treated for the cost of treating one patient with preventive Truvada."Truvada for prevention will squeeze already-constrained health care resources that can be better spent on cheaper and more effective prevention therapies," the group stated in a petition to...
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