UW researchers call HIV-prevention drug a ‘milestone’
Jul 16, 2012, 2:28 PM | Updated: 3:46 pm
Researchers at the University of Washington called the first-ever FDA approval of an HIV-prevention medication a milestone in the effort to put an end to the disease. (AP Photo)
Researchers at the University of Washington called the
first-ever FDA approval of an HIV-prevention medication a
milestone in the effort to put an end to the disease.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drug called
Truvada Monday, a pill that when taken daily reduces the
risk of HIV infection through sexual intercourse by 75
percent for heterosexuals. The risk for gay and bisexual men
is reduced by 42 percent compared with a placebo.
“This is a really big deal,” said Dr. Jared Baeten, a UW
associate professor of Global Health and Medicine. “It opens
up a whole new way of thinking about how we can prevent HIV
and turn the tide on the epidemic.”
Baeten co-chaired a study that tested the drug on 4,758
couples in Kenya and Uganda that were HIV serodiscordant,
meaning one partner was HIV positive while the other was HIV
negative.
Baeten said a priority will be to get the drug to
individuals at the greatest risk of HIV, such as those in
developing countries with a higher rate of infection.
