CDC backs new drug that prevents HIV infection
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The CDC released new guidelines recommending a daily pill that reduces the chances of an HIV infection.
The pill called Preexposure Prophylaxis or PrEP, should be taken as a prevention method for those at-risk of acquiring HIV, which includes heterosexual, bisexual and gay couples.
"HIV infection is preventable, yet every year we see some 50,000 new HIV infections in the United States," Tom Frieden, CDC Director said. "Used along with other prevention strategies, it has the potential to help at-risk individuals protect themselves and reduce new HIV infections in the US."
Clinical trials for the drug were conducted in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa and the U.S. among gay and bisexual men had sex with a man 6 months before the trial. Participants received the pill on a daily basis and were tested for HIV every four weeks. Findings showed PrEP reduced the risk of infection by 92 percent.
The CDC recommends the daily tablet for HIV-uninfected patients with any of the following circumstances:
- Anyone who has ongoing sexual relations without a condom
- Anyone who does not have HIV but is in a sexual relationship with an HIV-infected partner
- A gay or bisexual man who has had sex without a condom or has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection within the past six months
- A heterosexual man or women who does not always use condoms when having sex with partner already at risk
- Anyone who has, within the past six months, injected illicit drugs and shared equipment or been in a treatment program for inject drug use.
"While a vaccine or cure may one day end the HIV epidemic, PrEP is a powerful tool that has the potential to alter the course of the U.S. HIV epidemic today," said Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS.
"These guidelines represent an important step toward fully realizing the promise of PrEP. We should add to this momentum, working to ensure that PrEP is used by the right people, in the right way, in the right circumstances."
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