Anti-HIV pill just before approval

Pill is supposed to protect 75 percent from a HI infection

05/11/2012

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently evaluating the approval of the first anti-HIV pill whose intake is expected to significantly reduce the risk of infection. So far, only condoms protected against infection with the HIV virus.

New pill to reduce HIV infection risk by up to 75 percent
AIDS is still one of the curable diseases. Unlike many other virally transmitted diseases, AIDS does not only appear in certain regions but as a pandemic. Although intensive research has made great strides in the field of drug therapy, which may delay the onset of AIDS after HIV infection, a full recovery still seems a long way off.

Now, a committee of US experts has issued a recommendation for approval of the first anti-HIV pill to the FDA. The pill „Truvada“, produced by the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, is designed to provide preventative protection against HIV infection. After the twenty-two independent experts held an eleven-hour session and hearings, the majority on Thursday called for the commercial launch of the anti-HIV pill. Although the Commission's recommendation is not binding on the FDA, it usually adheres to it.

In a clinical study, it was found that „Truvada“ reduces the risk of infection in heterosexuals with a seropositive partner by up to 75 percent. The drug is already used along with other medicines for the treatment of HIV infections. (Ag)

Read about:
Proper handling of HIV infections is required
Tablets are designed to reduce HIV infection risk?
30 years of AIDS: still no cure in sight?
Two million HIV infected teens worldwide
China: clinics deny Aids patients
UN warns against rapid spread of AIDS
AIDS: SI virus is considered a precursor to HIV
Why some people do not get AIDS despite HIV
AIDS: No fate with real antibodies?

Image: Gerd Altmann, Pixelio.de