PrEP Talk 101

via AIDSMEDS, by Trenton Straube

A pill prevents getting HIV? Here's what you need to know about Truvada, the HIV med the FDA just approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

The HIV prevention toolbox just got a headline-grabbing addition. On July 16, the FDA approved Truvada as a pill that certain HIV-negative people can take to prevent them from getting HIV through sex. When taken as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, Truvada, which is manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is supposed to be used daily along with safer-sex practices such as condoms and regular HIV testing. How does Truvada as PrEP work? Who is a good candidate for it, and what are the risks?

For answers, AIDSmeds spoke with three specialists: Jared Baeten, MD, PhD, an associate professor of global health and medicine at the University of Washington at Seattle and co-leader of the Partners PrEP study; Gal Mayer, MD, the medical director of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City, whose primary focus is gay men; and Albert Liu, MD, MPH, the director of prevention interventions at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and also the medical director of the iPrEX study (more details on these studies later). Together, we break down the basic science and real-world application of Truvada as PrEP.

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