HIV prevention drug PrEP showed positive results

PrEP: A drug designed to help people at risk of contracting HIV
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a drug designed to help people at risk of contracting HIV, was recently in news on 3 September 2015 as the practical tests have shown that people who took the drug stayed HIV-free.

Findings of the Tests conducted
• Scientists studied 650 people who took the drug over a 32-month period.
• The majority of the users were homosexual men as the group was more likely to report having multiple sex partners than non-users. All of them remained HIV free.
• The study adds to a global bank of evidence that PrEP is an effective method of curbing the spread of HIV. America's Centre for Disease Control has stated that if taken properly, the drug can reduce risk of HIV by 92 percent.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
• PrEP is a treatment for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it. It can be used to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day.
• The pill (brand name Truvada) contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) that are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV.
• When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92 percent. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently.
• It is a powerful HIV prevention tool and can be combined with condoms and other prevention methods to provide even greater protection than when used alone.

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