Reports: FDA may be close to approving drug for HIV prevention

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration may be close to approving a drug for preventing HIV infection, according to published reports.

The Associated Press reported that the FDA had said Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), made by Gilead Sciences, appeared to be safe and effective for preventing HIV infection when taken daily. An FDA advisory committee will review the drug and decide whether to recommend its approval for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PrEP, which involves taking antiretroviral drugs daily to lower the chances of HIV infection, has been shown as effective in heterosexual men and women and in men who have sex with men, a term used for men who have sexual relations with other men, but do not necessarily identify as gay or bisexual. The CDC also is conducting a study of whether PrEP works in intravenous drug users.

Interested in this topic? Sign up for our weekly DSN Collaborative Care e-newsletter.