Truvada pill against HIV

Hundreds of thousands of US citizens should take preventive pills for HIV

05/15/2014

In the US, the National Health Authority („Centers for Disease Control and Prevention“, CDC) for those at high risk for prophylactic medication to reduce HIV infection risk. The so-called „Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a way for people with a high HIV risk to protect themselves with a daily pill“, so the CDC message.

However, the US Department of Health does not see PrEP as a substitute for contraceptive use, but as a supplement. In the US, contraception with condoms among adolescents and young adults is increasingly unpopular, according to media reports, which should play a significant role in stagnating the number of new HIV infections at a relatively high level for years. The recommendations on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis with a high risk of HIV will presumably not change this in the short term, especially since, according to the „New York Times“ would mean that in the future about 500,000 people a day would have to swallow the medication.

Avoid HIV infection through pre-exposure prophylaxis?
According to the CDC, pre-exposure prophylaxis is based on two drugs (one of them Truvada) that are also used to treat HIV. Preventive use of the drugs prevents HI viruses that have been ingested during sexual intercourse or by the intravenous administration of drugs from entering the body. „In several studies on PrEP, the risk of HIV infection was up to 92 percent lower for participants who consistently took the drug than for those who did not receive any medication“, reports the US Department of Health. However, the PrEP did not work nearly as well if the drugs were not taken daily.

Use of condoms continues to be advised
The US Department of Health said this was sexually active, „no prevention strategy 100 percent effective“ is. However, PrEP can be combined with other HIV prevention measures to further enhance protection. In order to minimize the risk of HIV, the use of condoms should always be taken into account and an HIV test with the partner is recommended before the first unprotected sexual intercourse. If there is a high risk of infection due to a drug addiction, the US Department of Health advises to take part in therapy and to date only to use sterile injection devices. Last but not least also by the „Choosing less risky sexual behaviors like oral sex“ the risk of infection is reduced, reports the CDC.

PrEP for people with a high HIV infection risk
According to the US Department of Health, the PrEP is recommended for people who are not infected with HIV but are at significant risk of infection. This applies, for example, to persons living in ongoing relationships with an HIV-infected partner, as well as to homosexual or bisexual men who have unprotected anal sex with partners whose HIV status is unknown or who have been in another for the past six months Sexually transmitted disease were ill. The recommendation also applies to people who have been injecting drugs and sharing syringes with others in the past six months, as well as people who have been on therapy for intravenous use of drugs for the past six months. In addition, the PrEP is also advised heterosexual men and women who have unprotected intercourse with people from the above-mentioned risk groups (drug addicts or bisexual male partners).

Medications need to be taken daily
Regarding the use of PrEP, the US Department of Health explains that prescription medicines need to be taken daily and that an HIV test is regularly scheduled for inspection. Also, those concerned should remember that PrEP does not replace the protection afforded by condoms, according to the CDC statement. „Condoms not only increase HIV protection, but also prevent infection with other sexually transmitted diseases“, reports the US Department of Health.

Criticism of the recommendation for drug-related HIV prevention
The CDC itself addresses one of the criticisms made of the PrEP recommendation. The treatment would suggest to the vulnerable persons a certainty that could cause them to neglect the protection or to a more pronounced risk behavior, so the fear. Also, the possible side effect of the therapy should be considered, especially from the point of view that hundreds of thousands of healthy people in the future should swallow the medication. Although the CDC speaks here primarily of stomach problems and loss of appetite, which should usually disappear after the first months of therapy. However, the kidneys and liver could also be affected. At worst, those affected would end up sick because they wanted to protect themselves from HIV infection. (Fp)

Image: Benjamin Klack