HIV Prevention

A new drug called Truvada has been approved by a consulting board to the Food and Drug Administration.  This panel is not the FDA and therefore it still goes to be seen if the FDA will approve the HIV prevention drug this summer.  Truvada is a once daily pill which has been proven to help prevent the spread of the HIV virus among partners.  The pill is a preventative measure which means people in the high risk category for contracting HIV, ie gay men and couples where one partner has HIV and the other does not, would take the pill once a day every day to stop them from contracting HIV in the first place.  The board approved the pill because it was effective; however, many people say it should not be approved for a number of other reasons.  The first reason is that the pill is extremely expensive.  At $900 a month, Truvada is a much more expensive option than simply using a condom (the best way to prevent spreading the disease).  The next reason is that many medical professionals believe it will discourage the use of condoms.  Finally, people do not think it will be effective because they believe people will forget to take the pill every day, a necessary step to make sure it works.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/10/fda-panel-recommends-approval-of-first-drug-to-prevent-hiv/