US Approve First Ever HIV Prevention Drug

It is clear to see that HIV gets less media attention than it did during the first few years of the UK Aids epidemic, but it is far from an issue of the past. Since the epidemic broke out in the 1980’s nearly 30 million people have died from Aids-related causes.

HIV is considered to be the most important communicable disease in the UK. It is estimated that 22,000 people in Britain have HIV but are oblivious of the infection.

Truvada reduces the risk of getting HIV-1, the most common strain of HIV in high risk groups. It works by reducing the amount of virus circulating the blood. The drug has been proved to reduce the risk of getting HIV by between 42 to 75 per cent of people in trailed high risk groups if the drug is taken before or after exposure.

Some specialists believe HIV-positive partners should be treated to also. Michael Barton, UNIAIDS Team Leader said: “We know that for HIV-positive people, if they consistently take antiretroviral drugs and their viral is suppressed for them it’s almost impossible to transmit the virus.”

Truvada is taken as a pill once a day, and in the US will cost you up to £7,500 for a year’s supply. However there is major concern that Truvada could create a false sense of security and that individuals will more willingly have unprotected sex when taking the drug.

If you are worried about your HIV Status, then Better2Know can help.  We can test you for HIV at any of our private nationwide STD testing clinics, with results done in a laboratory available the same day that your sample is received in the laboratory (so usually the day after your test).

This guest post was written by Jessica Delaney a communication student at Sheffield Hallam University.