For the first time, the Unites States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug for HIV/AIDS prevention on Monday. The drug is dubbed as Truvada, an antiretroviral medication created by Gilead Sciences, Inc., which was already approved by the FDA in 2004 to help control HIV infection. The drug is a combination of two HIV medications, emtricitabine (Emtriva) and tenofovir (Viread), into one pill that is taken once a day.
The drug is for adults who do not have HIV, but are at risk of getting the disease. As a treatment for the disease, the pill is always used in combination with other HIV drugs. According to recent studies, pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP can reduce transmission of the virus significantly, up to 96 percent, when uninfected partners of people infected with HIV took Truvada. “Practicing safer sex and good health practices must be part of the treatment,” said Dr. Debra Birnkrant, M.D., director of the Division of Antiviral Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. “We will be putting a box warning to let those using Truvada know that it is part of the therapy with combination of safer sex practices, and that doing this, will reduce the risk of the development of AIDS/HIV.” Truvada should not be used as a stand-alone method to prevent HIV infection. The drug should be used in conjunction with safe sex practices, such as condoms.
