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Scientists at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center have discovered a new anti-viral drug which has reportedly prevented HIV infection in hundreds of healthy gay men.
Through the daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment, healthy men can take a pill which can dramatically reduce the chance of getting infected by HIV. The pill has been approved for daily use in combination with safer sex practices in the UK.
In the study, researchers observed 657 participants under the PrEP treatment plan over the course of 32 months. With an average age of 37, 99% of the participants of the study were men who have sex with other men.
Their findings revealed that none of the participants developed HIV during the course of study. Clinical trials of the drug in the past suggested the drug had a prevention rate of 86%.
“Our study is the first to extend the understanding of the use of PrEP in a real-world setting and suggests that the treatment may prevent new HIV infections even in a high-risk setting,” Dr Jonathan Volk of Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center said.
Proponents of the study believe that the drug has the ability to cut down the number of HIV cases in the world if given as a preventative method. Meanwhile, critics of the drug think it would only encourage “risky sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men.”
According to the research team, there is a growing demand for PrEp treatment among gay men. They also found a need to extend the treatment to other groups at risk for HIV including drug users, transgender women, as well as heterosexual men and women.
Featured image credits to The Daily Mail UK.
