TRUVADA:A Drug That Supposedly Cures HIV/AIDS?Click to know more[DETAILS]

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The drug which is marketed as Truvada, had already been approved for the treatment of HIV in infected persons. It works by lowering the amount of virus circulating in people’s blood. Clinical trials conducted showed that it can also protect uninfected high-risk (both homo and hetero-sexual) people from acquiring the virus, if they take the drug daily before and after sexual exposure.
Some public health experts argue that allowing the drug to be used for prevention will foster a false sense of security among users, leading people to believe mistakenly that they are immune to the virus and reduce their use of condoms. However, the FDA determined that the benefits of expanding the pool of people who may use Truvada to protect against HIV made it worth approving. Here’s what you need to know.

truvada hiv prevention.

Who can take Truvada?
The drug, made by Gilead Sciences Inc., is approved for healthy, uninfected people who are at high risk of contracting HIV through sex. These include sex workers and people with partners who are HIV-positive or engage in high-risk behaviors, such as using IV drugs.

How effective is the drug in preventing HIV?
In one study, healthy gay and bisexual men who took Truvada daily and were counseled about safe sex practices lowered their risk of becoming infected by up to 42%. In another study involving heterosexual couples in which one partner was HIV-positive, the uninfected partner had a 75% lower risk of contracting HIV if they took Truvada.

Does Truvada cure AIDS?
No. The drug can treat people who are infected with HIV by lowering the amount of virus in their bodies and slowing down the progression of the disease. In healthy, uninfected people, the drug can thwart HIV’s ability to take hold in healthy cells and start an infection, by blocking the activity of an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate.

Why is the approval important?
Approving a drug to prevent HIV marks a big step toward controlling the spread of HIV and AIDS worldwideaBOUT tRUVADA. Once Truvada is used as a preventive measure domestically, U.S.-backed AIDS programs in the developing world may also begin to roll out the pill for healthy people who are at high risk of contracting HIV. Public health experts are eager to build up all effective prevention strategies, noting that the only way to stop the epidemic is by preventing new infections as well as treating existing ones.