|
Truvada intended for at-risk individuals, including gay andbisexual men and heterosexual couples with one HIV-infected person. By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. Food and DrugAdministration advisers on Thursday endorsed the use of the drugTruvada as a means to help prevent HIV infection in healthy peopleat high risk of contracting the AIDS-causing virus. In a series of votes that could lead to approval of a major newweapon in the fight against AIDS, the FDA advisers recommendedapproval of the daily pill for healthy, at-risk individuals,including gay and bisexual men and heterosexual couples with oneHIV-infected person, the Associated Press reported. The FDA is not bound to follow the recommendations of its advisorypanels, but it typically does so. A final decision is expected bymid-June. A report released earlier this week by the FDA suggested thatscientists believe the drug is safe and effective. But there are potential drawbacks to using the medication as a wayto combat HIV infection. Truvada -- which combines two HIV-fightingdrugs, tenofovir (Viread) and emtricitabine (Emtriva) -- is veryexpensive and may cause side effects. And although doctors canalready prescribe it to people trying to avoid HIV infection,critics contend it's too early to officially allow it to bepromoted for that use. On the other hand, those who support marketing the drug as apreventive agent say it can help high-risk people avoid thedisease, especially if they don't use condoms or if they want anadded layer of protection. "I don't see it as a panacea, but it's an option, and that'simportant," said Dr. Kenneth Mayer, an AIDS specialist and medicalresearch director of The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health inBoston. "Some people won't use a condom, but will say, 'if you giveme another option, I'll use that.'" Truvada works to combat HIV from replicating in the body's cells.Mayer explained that in someone who is not yet infected but isexposed to HIV, the drug may prevent the virus from reproducingeven if it has already invaded cells. As a result, he said, "thevirus cannot start turning the newly exposed person's body into a'factory' to produce more HIV particles." A study published in 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Truvada cut the risk of HIV infection by almost 44percent in those at highest risk for contracting the virus, namelysexually active gay and bisexual men. The risk reduction climbed tonearly 73 percent among study participants who took the pill 90percent of the time, the researchers added. Research suggests that people who use Truvada daily along withcondoms would gain an added layer of protection, because condomsaren't 100 percent effective. But one organization, the AIDSHealthcare Foundation, worries that wider use of the drug couldlead to more infections by discouraging people from bothering touse condoms. "Why would you take this medication if you intended to usecondoms?" asked the group's president, Michael Weinstein, in aninterview with Bloomberg News. He used a sartorial metaphor to elaborate how unlikely that mightbe: "You've got to be really paranoid about your pants falling downto wear a belt and suspenders." A. David Paltiel, a professor at Yale University School ofMedicine, said his research has shown that the use of preventivedrug treatments should reduce the risk of infection overall. Still,he said, it's unknown if "people (would) take more chances becausethey feel protected by a 'chemical condom.'" Potential markets for Truvada as a preventive drug, Mayer said,include gay men who have sex with more than one man and anycommitted couple in which one person is HIV-positive, includingsome heterosexual couples who want to have children. Mayer, who has conducted research into the drug, said that allowingthe marketing will probably lead to an increase in its usage forprevention. But, "this is not a one-time, end-of-the-problemapproach like a shot of penicillin to treat an infection likesyphilis," he said. "Also, it involves someone perceiving that heor she is at risk, or a provider being comfortable enough to askabout a person's risk. We know that a lot of health providers don'tlike to talk to their patients about sex." Truvada, which is manufactured by Gilead Sciences, can also cause along list of side effects, including gastrointestinal problems. Andit's costly, with prices in the United States tagged at about $26 aday or $10,000 a year. Still, a study released this year found thedrug would be cost-effective if used extensively by gay andbisexual men at high risk of becoming infected. For his part, Paltiel said his research came to the sameconclusion: That widespread use of the drug in high-risk peoplewould be "as cost-effective as other widely accepted public healthand medical interventions." More information Find out more about HIV/AIDS at the U.S. National Library of Medicine . SOURCES: Kenneth Mayer, M.D., medical research director andco-chair, The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health, and director ofHIV Prevention, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston; A. DavidPaltiel, Ph.D., professor of public health and managerial sciences,Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Associated Press ; Bloomberg News Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Bag Hanger Stand , Shoe Polish Brush Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Non Woven Fabric Bags today!
Related Articles -
Bag Hanger Stand, Shoe Polish Brush Manufacturer,
|
