New HIV Drug Could Offer Hope

July 27, 2010

Results of a study released at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna showed that gay men on HIV medication designed to prevent infection do not engage in riskier sexual behavior.

A product produced by Gilead Sciences Inc, called Viread, is currently used in HIV treatment but was being tested for prevention before exposure to the virus.

The study, however, was designed to test whether the drug caused side effects, not whether it increases risky behavior among men.

The study was conducted with 400 HIV-negative men.

The men were split in half, with one group receiving a daily dose of Viread or a placebo, and the other group was given a placebo or the drug nine months later.

“It is encouraging to hear there were no serious safety concerns and that the men in the study did not appear to increase risk-taking behaviors while taking a pill,” said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the New York-based AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, speaking to Bloomberg News.
 

“Much more safety, adherence and risk data will be needed before PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis] can be implemented if it is proven effective.”

Researchers say the study of 400 men was not large enough to draw solid conclusions. In the end, seven of the men become infect with HIV, although no one taking the Viread became positive.

Image : Original work of the US Federal Government - public domain