EU Medicines Agency advocates Truvada for HIV prevention

Truvada: European agency recommends drug for HIV prevention
In South Africa's Durban, the World AIDS Conference has come to an end. Top topic there was the drug Truvada, which can protect against HIV infection. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has now issued a recommendation for the drug.

Protect with sex with condoms
Currently, nearly 37 million people worldwide are living with the AIDS virus HIV. Although around two million of them became infected last year alone, the UN recently announced a turnaround. Among other things, there were 40 percent fewer fatalities. The United Nations has now reached an ambitious plan to end the global AIDS epidemic by 2030. The most important precautionary measure against HIV infection is to protect yourself with condoms during sexual intercourse. But even medicines can help. Among others Truvada; the drug was a hot topic at the World AIDS Conference in Durban (South Africa).
The European Medicines Agency EMA has recommended the approval of a drug for HIV prophylaxis. Daily intake of Truvada can reduce the risk of HIV. (Image: tashatuvango / fotolia.com)
Drug for HIV prophylaxis
The European Medicines Agency EMA has recommended the approval of a drug for HIV prophylaxis. According to the agency, daily intake of Truvada could reduce the risk of HIV infection. The decision coincided with the completion of the one-week World AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, where thousands of researchers, activists and government officials discussed strategies to address the global AIDS epidemic. The drug has been approved in the US since 2012. Investigations confirmed the effect. For example, a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases showed that not one of the 657 study participants who had taken the drug for at least two years had AIDS.

German AIDS Aid welcomes European recommendation
A decision on approval in the EU is expected in the coming months. The prophylaxis should cost around 800 euros per month, according to experts. The German Aids-Hilfe (DAH) welcomed the decision of the EMA to recommend Truvada for preventive use (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, PrEP) for people with high HIV risk. "It forms the basis for making the PrEP available in Germany as well. Now it's about clarifying how the PrEP can be funded. We need to make them available to the people who need them to protect themselves from HIV. We urge the manufacturer Gilead to contribute to this with a price reduction, "said DAH managing director Silke Klumb in a statement.

"Also available soon in Germany"
According to the DAH, HIV prophylaxis does not replace other protection options, but offers an additional option for people who do not always manage condom protection. It does not protect against other sexually transmitted diseases. In Germany, PrEP is currently being used primarily for gay men with a high HIV risk. This is also shown by a recent study by scientists from Emory University in Atlanta, USA. In the journal The Journal of Infectious Diseases, they reported that the drug can massively reduce the number of HIV infections in men. "We hope that the PrEP will soon be available in Germany as well. It is one more way to prevent HIV infections - we have to use them! "Says Silke Klumb. (Ad)