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A drug which stops HIV infecting the body has proved to be a highly effective “real-world” preventative treatment, a study has confirmed. The results of the research on 24,000 people taking it across England, have been described as “reassuring”.
Thousands of people are already taking PrEP through sexual health clinics.
HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust wants easier access to the drug, since many people, including women, do not know it exists.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which led the PrEP Impact Trial with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said it was the largest ever real-world study of its kind. Funded by NHS England, it was carried out at 157 sexual health clinics across England between October 2017 and July 2020.
The study found use of PrEP, also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis. reduced the chances of getting HIV by around 86% when used in everyday life - taking into account inconsistent or incorrect use. Clinical trials suggested the medication is 99% effective.
It’s pretty uncommon, but there are some use cases, namely women in relationships with HIV+ men.
Women of color actually have really high rates of HIV compared to the rest of the population. Working to de-stigmatize both the infection and prevention treatments is a really important part of reducing overall numbers of HIV.
Yeah there’s actually a real problem with hiv running rampant in some communities of straight people because of the assumption of it as a gay virus