Truvada: First HIV-prevention pill, approved by FDA

[Milkster]

Gilead Sciences' Truvada has been taken by people over 12 with human immunodeficiency virus in conjunction with other antiretroviral drugs since it was first approved by the FDA in 2004. The new approval applies in combination with safer sex practices for preventative use in healthy individuals who are at a high risk for HIV or who may have sex with HIV-positive partners.
Truvada for HIV prevention backed by advisory panel, FDA may decide by June
HIV advocates say Truvada could save lives
Once-daily Quad HIV pill an effective and safe alternative to multiple-pill regimens, study shows
"Today's approval marks an important milestone in our fight against HIV," FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg said in a press release. "Every year, about 50,000 U.S. adults and adolescents are diagnosed with HIV infection, despite the availability of prevention methods and strategies to educate, test, and care for people living with the disease. New treatments as well as prevention methods are needed to fight the HIV epidemic in this country."
In the announcement, the FDA strongly recommended against Truvada's use to prevent disease transmission in individuals who may already have HIV.
The most common side effects reported with Truvada were diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, headache and weight loss. Serious side effects were uncommon.
In May, a panel of expert advisers who make recommendations to the FDA voted to back Truvada's use for HIV prevention in healthy, high-risk individuals but the FDA was not bound to accept the panel's recommendation. The experts at the time questioned the drug's effectiveness for females, who have shown much lower rates of protection in the research.
Research showing Truvada may prevent HIV transmission first arose in 2010, when a government study found it cut infection risk in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42 percent, when accompanied by condoms and STD counseling. Another study found the pill may reduce HIV risk by 75 percent among heterosexual couples in which one partner is infected with the virus. Some doctors had already been prescribing Truvada off-label for HIV prevention.
Following the FDA advisory panel's initial recommendation in May, some HIV advocates hailed the announcement as "nearing a watershed moment in our fight against HIV."

The PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) Fact sheet:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prep/pdf/PrEPfactsheet.pdf

Is PrEP right for you:
http://www.projectinform.org/pdf/prep_msm.pdf

[Howie Roary]

for the rest of the forum that doesn't use whatever obscene skin that allows milkster to easily read both black and white text on a black or white backgound [wtf?]:

Gilead Sciences' Truvada has been taken by people over 12 with human immunodeficiency virus in conjunction with other antiretroviral drugs since it was first approved by the FDA in 2004. The new approval applies in combination with safer sex practices for preventative use in healthy individuals who are at a high risk for HIV or who may have sex with HIV-positive partners.

Truvada for HIV prevention backed by advisory panel, FDA may decide by June
HIV advocates say Truvada could save lives
Once-daily Quad HIV pill an effective and safe alternative to multiple-pill regimens, study shows

"Today's approval marks an important milestone in our fight against HIV," FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg said in a press release. "Every year, about 50,000 U.S. adults and adolescents are diagnosed with HIV infection, despite the availability of prevention methods and strategies to educate, test, and care for people living with the disease. New treatments as well as prevention methods are needed to fight the HIV epidemic in this country."
In the announcement, the FDA strongly recommended against Truvada's use to prevent disease transmission in individuals who may already have HIV.
The most common side effects reported with Truvada were diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, headache and weight loss. Serious side effects were uncommon.
In May, a panel of expert advisers who make recommendations to the FDA voted to back Truvada's use for HIV prevention in healthy, high-risk individuals but the FDA was not bound to accept the panel's recommendation. The experts at the time questioned the drug's effectiveness for females, who have shown much lower rates of protection in the research.
Research showing Truvada may prevent HIV transmission first arose in 2010, when a government study found it cut infection risk in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42 percent, when accompanied by condoms and STD counseling. Another study found the pill may reduce HIV risk by 75 percent among heterosexual couples in which one partner is infected with the virus. Some doctors had already been prescribing Truvada off-label for HIV prevention.
Following the FDA advisory panel's initial recommendation in May, some HIV advocates hailed the announcement as "nearing a watershed moment in our fight against HIV."

[Milkster]

for the rest of the forum that doesn't use whatever obscene skin that allows milkster to easily read both black and white text on a black or white backgound [wtf?]:

I only used the Blue and white forum skin, this black and white one is hideous.

[Not Kuno]

Doesn't matter, I fixed it up. It's best not to use colored text anyway because it will always look good without it.

On topic: So you have to take the pill every day? That sounds.. inefficient. Aren't you better off just using protection?

[Tajin]

Tl;dr: Good news everyone you can keep fornicating like rabbits?

[archibaldcrane]

a government study found it cut infection risk in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42 percent, when accompanied by condoms and STD counseling.

You'd think that would reduce the infection risk by, say, 98%, no?

I just find it hard to believe that someone so stubborn or ignorant to not use condoms for blasting other dudes in the ass will dutifully take a pill every day because they are so obviously concerned over contracting HIV.

[Restrat]

It's targeted for people with a positive partner, sex workers, health care providers who work with HIV+ people, etc. more than just regular bros.

[Kuya]

It's probably of better use to people having monogamous relationships with hiv+ people.

edit: beaten

[Headspace]

Milkster thread.

[archibaldcrane]

It's targeted for people with a positive partner, sex workers, health care providers who work with HIV+ people, etc. more than just regular bros.

It's probably of better use to people having monogamous relationships with hiv+ people.

Good points.

Will it only be prescribed to those people?

[Pirian]

Another pill instead of a cure? Well, I guess it's better than nothing, but it certainly isn't surprising

[Nirokun!]

It's targeted for people with a positive partner, sex workers, health care providers who work with HIV+ people, etc. more than just regular bros.

All healthcare providers! You never know if a patient is HIV+ (I have a few that I know about through their list of diagnoses, but having found errors on those lists, I'm wary!) I had a needle stick scare in the past year or so, it was all my fault and it was a fresh needle that only I had handled. I was like "Yeah, that's not going to be the last of that" because I'm human (and clumsy.)

[hey]

Another pill instead of a cure? Well, I guess it's better than nothing, but it certainly isn't surprising

Don't need a cure if you don't get it in the first place.

[BaneTheBrawler]

during one of my infusions the nurse had trouble getting the tubing to cooperate because it was stuck too tight. when it finally came loose, the plastic thing on the end scraped up her finger. she didn't notice until i saw blood dripping all over my tubing (while its in my arm- somewhat alarming tbh) and i pointed it out. Fortunately, she had the end that went to my arm in her hand held vertically the whole time, so none got in, but she had to fill out an incident report and i had to sign it. she assured me she was disease free, and was so apologetic i had to chuckle a bit. she's the one who got hurt, and shes apologizing to me. absurd.

I've also had a blood infusion (if you donate, thanks!) and while I doubt I was at much risk at Mayo Clinic's main campus, there's always that tiny chance.

edit: anyway point is, this could be useful for a LOT of things. take it during a hospital stay, etc.

[kuronosan]

This drug would be more useful in a hospital/laboratory setting and not for regular prescription use.

Those results are just like saying "Hey hepatitis transmission was successfully prevented in less than 50% of cases". Well whoopdee-fucking-do.

[Vuitton]

I was dating an HIV+ (w/ undetectable viral load) guy for a while and my Doctor said if we saw things going LTR that he would recommend I take Truvada, and this was back in August. We stopped dating in September though, so whatevs. Good to know HIV- people have an extra safety measure in preventing seroconversion when dating people who are HIV+.

Edit:

Why is this in the Politics/Religion subforum? It's neither of those things. It's a pharmaceutical and it's about health.

[Thiefami]

Tl;dr: Good news everyone you can keep fornicating like rabbits?

nah, I hear super gonorrhea is making it's rounds

[Kerberoz]

Bacteria schmacteria.

[Pirian]

Don't need a cure if you don't get it in the first place.

But once you have it...

Like I said, better than nothing, but no surprise that there's no cure. Maybe if it's cheap and effective enough then it can be eradicated due to not being spread on, but I doubt either of these things are the case. There was one person here that has taken it, so maybe he can tell us how much he was paying? He probably had some kind of insurance taking care of some of the costs though

[Icywave]

Truely, any step forward in this epidemic is a pretty good news.