PrEP before sex could ‘significantly reduce’ chances of HIV
By Will Stroude
A new study has indicated that taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs could lower the chances of contracting HIV – even when taken on a irregular basis.
The French ANRS IPERGAY study has been comparing the infection rates of trial participants taking the drugs “on demand” – i.e. before they have sex – to trial participants taking a placebo.
The trial’s organisers announced today (October 29) that the participants taking a placebo should immediately be offered the real PrEP drugs, because of “a very significant reduction in the risk of HIV infection in the on demand PrEP group”.
The findings indicate that HIV-negative men might only need to use PrEP drugs when they are likely to be sexually active – instead of having to take them on a daily basis to stay protected against the HIV virus.
In a statement, the Director of Policy and Campaigns at the National AIDS Trust, Yusef Azad, said:
“This announcement from the ANRS IPERGAY trial is another exciting piece of news in the growing and powerful evidence base on the effectiveness of PrEP.
“It is especially important if it suggests that PrEP might work well when taken only around the time of sex rather than daily – that could be good news for costs. We will now need to look at how such ‘intermittent PrEP’ works in a ‘real life’ setting rather than a placebo-controlled trial.
“This news adds to the urgency of the NHS deciding how to introduce PrEP effectively to reduce the current record numbers of gay and bisexual men, and others at high risk, being diagnosed with HIV in the UK.”
PrEP is currently being trialled in the UK in the PROUD study, which is assessing the level of protection offered by PrEP when it’s taken on a daily basis.
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