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July 13th, 2011
03:55 PM ET
Taking meds before exposure cuts HIV risk for heterosexualsHeterosexuals who are HIV negative can significantly reduce their risk of infection by taking a daily dose of an antiviral drug, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, called TDF2, followed 1,200 uninfected heterosexual men and women between the ages of 18 and 39 years in Botswana, Africa. Study participants took a tablet containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emitricitabine (TDF/FTC), whose brand name is Truvada, or a placebo. On average, patients were followed for a year although some were followed for about three and a half years. The risk of infection was reduced 63% overall, but for participants who actually got the drugs, that risk decreased by 78%. Giving daily antiretroviral drugs to uninfected individuals to prevent the disease is called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. Previous studies have shown PrEP to be effective in reducing infection rates among the uninfected. Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's national Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, called the news a milestone. "It is clear we are not going to find one magic pill to solve the issue of HIV but by combining this approach with others we are beginning to get a better handle on combination packages. There is reason to be excited." The news comes at the same time a second study looking at PrEP in heterosexual couples in Kenya and Uganda also found significant reductions in infection rates. The Partners PrEP study participants took either TDF/FTC, the drug tenofovir–brand name Viread, or a placebo. Preliminary results showed both treatments significantly reduced transmission in couples where one partner was already infected with the virus. Patients who took tenofovir had 62% fewer infections while those taking the combination drug had 73% fewer infections than those who got the placebo. "Just a few years ago the tool kit for HIV prevention was not very large," says Dr. Jared Baeten, the principal investigator of the Partners PrEP study at the University of Washington. "Now we have a nice collection of really powerful strategies that work for the population at greatest risk in the world. This is really a game changer." "We now have findings from two studies showing that PrEP can work for heterosexuals, the population hardest hit by HIV worldwide," Fenton said. "Taken together, these studies provide strong evidence the power of this prevention strategy." In fact, an interim review of the Partners data on effectiveness was so compelling that the trial was stopped early and the placebo arm was discontinued. Clear evidence Baeten said, that PrEP substantially reduces infection risk. At the same time he says, there was no evidence of safety concerns. Patients taking the placebo will be put on one of the drugs. In the TDF2 study those taking the drug reported nausea, vomiting and dizziness. An earlier PrEP trial, the iPrEx study, looked at treatment in men who have sex with men. Infection rates dropped by 90% in patients who consistently used PrEP. “We are in a critical moment in HIV prevention research,” said Robert Grant, M.D., M.P.H, of the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California at San Francisco. He is the iPrEx protocol chair. “iPrEx provided the first proof of an important new method of HIV prevention that can help slow the global toll of 2.6 million new HIV infections each year. Partners PrEP and the TDF2 study have now expanded that finding by demonstrating the effectiveness of PrEP in heterosexual women and men. "Developing and deploying proven HIV prevention methods – including PrEP, microbicides, vaginal gels, clean needles, medical male circumcision, early treatment, counseling, testing, condoms and suppressive therapy for pregnant women will all be key to slowing the global epidemic," he said. The CDC says the next step is to fully review all the data and begin to develop guidelines for the use of these drugs in heterosexual men and women here in the U.S.
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Cue right wing comments blasting gays in 3... 2... 1...
Too bad, they just will never learn they care a lot more about the gays, than they gays do about them...
So got a pre-emtive strike in, just to prove what? that you're just as mean-sprited as those whom you accuse?
Queue typical brainless liberal "3...2...1..." comment in 3..2..1...
Wow so I'm a mean spirited pot-stirring liberal in .5 seconds. beat my previous record of .76 seconds. Thanks guys! One thing I think we can agree on, or so I'd hope, is that at least science is making progress... small, but its still progress. There are a lot of good people affected by HIV/AIDS, some I know personally, so that is my overall thought on the article.
@Mikey: Benjamin Franklin was a liberal, as was John Adams. So was Albert Einstein. So was Jesus of Nazareth. We're in better company than you are. "Liberal" means free, by the way. Liberalism is all about freedom. If you value freedom, be thankful that there are liberals who expanded freedom throughout history. If conservatives had their way in 1776, America would have remained under control of King George III.
This isn't a sports game.
Calling someone a 'Liberal' or a 'Conservative' like it's a bad thing is sort of immature. No, it's extremely immature and that is the same mudslinging that is prevalent in Washington right now.
How about ya'll grow up for once, there is always going to be two sides to a coin and shouting like a child whenever something is seen from a different perspective by ANY MAJORITY is absolutely ridiculous.
Alex Goesing... the liberalism you are talking about is classical liberalism... it's about the opposite of what modern liberalism is
@Brian: "Classic" liberalism is alive and well. Liberalism is and always will be about freedom. Our form of government is called representative democracy. Democracy is a liberal form of government by definition. People who use "liberal" as a slur are the same people who insist that democracies don't exist. They insist that we're a republic, as if "democracy" and "republic" were somehow mutually exclusive. Every democracy is a republic. Republics exist because liberals create them.
Alex.... John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were political rivals, I find it hard to believe both were "liberals" as you say....
This is laughable, so if decide to be gay according to them it doesn't work, but oh wait, now i want to be straight, so now it does..LMAO!!?? Does CNN think this article adds value to their brand???
The problem is that the virus is in the system. Yes, you will never come down with HIV, but if you ever stop taking Truvada after being exposed, then surprise, you become HIV+
The study didn't test to see what happened to these people after taking Truvada.
And this works as well with gay people.
Try to cut down the implicatiions, CNN.
Todd, you misunderstood the study. They are trying to see if the drug helps keep HIV out of non-infected individuals even when they are exposed to HIV.
Ummm, not exactly....
That was for todd btw
Ummm... wrong. The drug would kill off the virus before it had a chance to hide away in the body.
Wow Epic Fail at an intelligent post. You don't know much about HIV.
Horrifying human being.
One more way for Pharm companies to make money off people taking a daily pill as oppossed to actually finding a long term solution such as a vaccine/cure.
Preventative medicine really does help eliminate the problem, and HIV mutates so damn quickly that creating a vaccine seems virtually impossible right now. Lets not be one of those people who treats the entire pharmaceutical industry as a giant conspiracy. It's almost as silly as people who deny the moon landing.
Yes, because surely nobody is trying to find a cure.
of course lots of vaccine research is ongoing, but they've been working on a vaccine for decades with little success. It's important to come out with ways to combat the disease in the meantime while research continues.
Gee, you kinda missed the mark there bud. A vaccine would require every single human being on the planet to take it AND every single person born thereafter. Think of how many polio vaccines are given on a daily basis worldwide. Obviously working at Walmart has taught you nothing about business but the smart bet for pharma companies would be a vaccine everyone would take rather than a long term, expensive combo that would only be afforded a few.
Thats a stupid thing to say, Jim.
I agree with Rod. Let's eliminate casual s e x as a social norm. Rates would definitely be reduced. For those who would say that approach doesn't help those infected by cheating partners...well, then I guess you should really "know" your husband or wife before you commit to marrying them. We wouldn't be able to stop all infections, but a little m o r a l i t y and commitment would go a long way.
Obviously, ignorance was INTENDED for some people.
If I were Single, I couldn't imagine taking the chance of getting AIDS. It's scary enough that People can get it in Whole Blood or some other way. I guess the days of "Free Love" are gone, just like the 1960's.
If only that were true!
Actually Todd, once the virus is in your body you are already HIV+. Whether that develops into AIDS or not is a whole different issue. I think the goal of the research was to determine if this drug can actually reduce the likelihood of an individual becoming HIV+. You do raise an interesting point though, Todd. While it seems that the drug prevents the transmission of the virus I wonder if it actually performs any anti-retroviral functions in the sense that it will prevent an already infected person from developing AIDS. Since it's an antiviral drug and not an anti-retroviral drug I suspect not. Either way, this is promising news. On the bright side this might be good for relationships where one partner is accidentally exposed to the virus through a blood transfusion or something like that. It might be a nice way to preserve the relationship. Regardless, good day for research!
Truvada is a drug already used in the treatment of HIV. The new info here is that it appears to also prevent transmissions.
Agreed that it is another way to take in revenue by the drug companies. Let people continue to be promiscuous and do nothing to help themselves. Animals we are!
wow really cnn! this pill cant help the gays!
Yep! Sure looks like the gays are doomed. That's what they get for dressing all fancy and liking art and stuff.
Seems pretty obvious that lesbians are the chosen people. Whereever there's a penis, problems follow.
i just wish a certain single person who lft a recent comment should further educate themselves on hiv and aids b4 they make real asses out of the selves. It isn't a death sentence now as opposed to thirty yrs ago.
You've been lied to.
Surely you mean godsend.
I'm in favor of policies like those of Brazil and Thailand: if the disease is an epidemic like HIV, then the drug gets manufactured as a generic regardless of copyright. Brazil, with a combination of this policy with awareness programs, has been one of the most successful countries in the world at fighting HIV and AIDS.
Now if we can find a pill to educate stupid religious conservatives we will be there
It doesn't take the scientific method to show that abstinence would fix AIDS in a generation.
It' not that they are stupid. It is the feelings of inferiority that drive their behavior.
In response to 'Rethink'....how stupid are you? It also doesn't take the scientific method to realize that we could wipe out the disease if we slaughtered every single person on earth who has it! Now let's work on solutions that don't require the suspension of all reality in a distinctly christian-fairy-tale-virginal-utopia way
I'm a Christian and I NEVER hear anything negative about gays among my friends. The hate is always brought up by liberals on the threads accusing Christians of being mean and hateful. Frankly, we don't know what you are talking about. I can only assume that the hostility is some kind of spiritual problem (which of course the atheists don't believe in, never mind that so many are overbearingly narcissistic on here). Where's the tolerance? Why the constant manipulation?
@Dee: Jesus Christ was a liberal. He preached tolerance, forgiveness, and peace. He also said "turn the other cheek", "do good to those who persecute you" and "judge not, lest you be judged." Do you know any conservatives who believe in those ideas that Jesus preached? Jesus said to help the poor. Jesus said to be "as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves." Conservatives reject Jesus' philosophy. Liberals embrace the values that Jesus preached. Conservatism is anti-Christ.
@Alex: While your point is taken, you have to admit that Jesus didn't go around asking people to band together and shake down rich people so that they could get money for themselves (which is what the modern-day Liberal movement has been about). That isn't Christian charity. Jesus asked the rich people to willingly give. What Liberals fail to see is that It isn't Christian charity if you are doing it with someone else's money.
Yeah lets all take that pill and bankrupt the health insurance companies. Yeahhhhh
So does this mean we can just pop a pill instead of using condoms to protect ourselves ... ? Of course I am being specious here, but some people will see it that way.
Its all bt controlling and money! There s cure for HIV as well for CANCER.they won't tell us . But it didn't come cheap. Its not in the market because they will not sell it for cheap price. Everything has a tag price on it my dear friends.the cure for cancer was found in the amazon jungle by a scientist.but the health department pay him a lot of money so he could keep himself quite. Its all bt money down sizing population and controlling ! Its a sad case...but have some true behind any speculation ...
they also made a pill that makes you smarter, but they are purposefully keeping it a secret from you so that the rest of us feel better about ourselves. you're retarded...
LOL...
sucks to be in the placebo group...
I wonder how a study like this can be conducted. Lets assume the study subjects were not aware about how HIV was transmitted or the seriousness of AIDS and half of them were not infected. Now the drug company comes in (I know it says CDC but come on ) and gives half of them real drugs and the other half placebos ! Does the company keep them uninformed OR the subjects just don't care if they infect the others ? I bet it is the former since the drug companies have a need to make their drug look better.
The studies listed above were conducted in sub-Saharan africa, where HIV and AIDS is in the headlines everyday. These people know more about this disease then most Americans. additionally people are very often given educational literature and meet with people at least at their enrollment and sometimes throughout these studies. Informed consent is a scientific standard for this type of thing.
There is good reason for studies like this to be done with a placebo and treatment group, and it's very simple: sometimes taking the experimental drug is worse than taking a sugar pill. Yes, scientists have good reason to think that the drug will work, but as I've seen working in clinical research, scientists are wrong just as often as other people. Sometimes, as was the case with thalydamide, the consequences of those mistakes are dire. For that reason it is profoundly unethical to give all members of the study a drug whose efficacy and dangers are unknown.
I'm not gay, but I would enjoy sticking my penis into an anus every so often.
first laugh out loud comment yet
So what about gays & lesbians?
I guess I didn't realize that there was some physiological difference between gay and straight people that would make straight people more responsive to a medication than gay people. Oh wait, there isn't...
But there is a direct link between gays and high rates of HIV infections.....care to explain that?
Did anyone find it ironic that the religious nut is using natural selection as the reason blacks and gays are more prone to HIV/AIDS? Isn't that gods territory? Like a plague?
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To the vaccine talk... there will never be a one-size-fits-all vaccine for HIV because it has so many mutations and variations they can actually see where your HIV originated based on them.
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The only cure will be education, early detection(right now it can take several years for HIV to test positive), and people being smart.
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We just all need to be a little more HIV+ about the situation.
There are two types of HIV – 1 and 2. Two being the most rare. There are many subtypes. Antiviral therapy for the most part works on all type 1 viruses but those same therapies are not as effective at type 2. However type 2 (and subtypes) are extremely rare. Different subtypes infect people better in different ways compared to others. Many therapies focus on the ability of HIV to bond to white blood cells. If the virus can not bond, it can't re-produce and can be consumed. Many people (%2 of Europeans) have natural immunity to the virus because their body can't produce the protein that HIV bonds to.
@kiu walsh
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Can't tell if Troll or stupid.
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What cure was 'found' in the amazon... I bet Indiana Jones just missed it when running from the boulder after taking the gold idol...
Is it just my imagination or are we being inundated with studies these days that have almost no value other then to create news.
1,200 people? What good is a study of 1,200 people unless the results are black and white??? The rate decreased for all. The difference was about 15% between the drug group and the placebo group?
Sorry but this is completely pointless!!! It's not worth even mentioning and I'm confused why any news organization would even bother with this story.
It's probably more likely that the drugs side effects reduced the subjects desire to go out on Friday night. Even with all things being equal I would expect to see a difference of 15%.
The results were clear. This article was not clearly written and it is not easy to understand the significance in any case. The drug group had a large reduction in infection rate relative to controls.
The difficulty of this study (from a research standpoint, not a medical one) is that new infection rates in Botswana are dropping fast. The "overall" drop was due to both decreasing new infection rates in Botswana and the drug in the treatment group, but it included both the drug and control groups. The 78% figure was for the drug group alone which was a combination of the dropping rate and the drug. The difference between drug and control was much larger than 15%.
Is it just my imagination or are we being inundated with studies these days that have almost no value other then to create news.
1,200 people? What good is a study of 1,200 people unless the results are black and white??? The rate decreased for all. The difference was about 15% between the drug group and the placebo group?
Sorry but this is completely pointless!!! It's not worth even mentioning and I'm confused why any news organization would even bother with this story.
It's probably more likely that the drugs side effects reduced the subjects desire to go out on Friday night. Even with all things being equal I would expect to see a difference of 15%.
Wonder what the long term side effects will be???
@Mark
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Have you ever noticed that no matter what the test that the placebo group, even though lower than the madicated group, still ALWAYS see results. The human mind is so powerful that because these people believed they were taking a drug to prevent HIV/AIDS they were 63% less likely to contract it.
.
And more to the point, who the h3ll actually says 'yes I want to take an HIV drug and see if I get infected'... no thank you.
It was not a placebo effect. Rates of new infections were dropping in Botswana before this study was even conducted. The CDC almost did not fund it because the rapidly dropping rate of new infections would make the effect of the drug hard to detect even in a study of about 1200 participants.
Wow, a pill that knows if you're gay. Brilliant!
How about using condoms? That would be a lot cheaper. Who's going to pay for all of these drugs, once CDC recommends their usage?
The problem with this sort of prevention is that it speeds the evolution and spread of drug-resistant strains of the virus.
HIV is not an epidemic in the US. Only 0.3616% are affected. The common cold is an epidemic.
Truvada has a Side effect of Death within in hours, even comes with a warning card that you were to keep on you at all times, its a nasty drug //
Yeah, just take this mystery pill and you'll never get HIV. Trust us guys we are scientists.
jealous im a better brain encourager
Ummm they have actually cured a man of HIV in Germany by giving him a bone marrow transplant and they have identified a mutated gene that makes humans immune to HIV its called the CCR5 gene, google it! I'm sure they are going to use gene therapy to come out with a cure in say 10-15 years tops! And todays antiretroviral drugs keep you healthey for 20-30 years so i'm willing to bet people who become infected today will be the first generation to be cured, given they have access to adequete health-care....
I hope this prevents hiv/std as I just got tested myself for the disease or diseases. I was stupid in experimentation and now I know that experimentation is dangeous and wreckless on both partners involved. I don't care about parisanship just rejoice that something anythign is being done about this deadly disease. I think absinence is the only 100% answer right now myself. If you cheat tell your partner and if not it should be a law that you are charged for murder in my opinion deliberate or undeliberate the ends are the same. Also, I am glad that I'm not gay! Yes, I'm going back to church and any prayers that would be nice for my test results and all.
And who are going to be paying for these people in this other country to get these expensive drugs??....
The reason they conducted this study in Botswana is that new HIV infection rates there are sufficiently high to detect a difference in a sample as small as 1200. It would have required tens of thousands of participants in the United States. Prevention studies are best done in populations where the disease is most prevalent.
@Michael those 2% of Europeans are the ones with the mutated CCR5 gene... All they have to do is figure out how to mutate people's CCR5 gene and viola, HIV will be a thing of the past like Polio... And they are currently working on this gene therapy technology... There was some scientist dude on Jimmy Kimmel Live one night who said that in 25 years we will be able to turn genes on and off as we please! Many other diseases will be cured in this way too such as cancer and alzeimer's... This is amazing and i believe we are on the brink of something major!
Now all the faaaags are going to try to get a hold of that drug so they can continue their cult of perversion without repercussion
how long were the individuals followed? were they followed for 2 years? if so, about 30% became infected in 2 years. that means in the next 2 years 30% of the remaining 70% will become infected for a total of 51% of the initial group. then in the following 2 years another 30% of the remaining 49% will become infected ... until nearly 100% are infected ... it just takes longer to infect them.
No... if you are free and clear 3 months from your last possible exposure, you are free and clear, entirely (until your next possible exposure).
^Ur logic is flawed, it doesnt work like that, if they werent infected during the trial, they wont become infected at all... It is amazing how idiotic and hateful u stupid conservatives really are! If its not ur life who cares, quit tryna tell people how they should live and put them down because they chose a lifestyle other than the one u see fit! Let people lead their own fukkin live goddammit!
Hey,
Don't fool around and stay true to you otherhalf and hopefully you won't get all of these horrible diseases.
Rememeber, you play, you pay.
Ahh modern science! Making responsibility something for the history books!
HIV and AIDS doesn't even exist. The jewish media and the jewish pharma companies created this to kill people with poison. Watch AIDS Inc. The person who "discovered AIDS" is Robert Gallo who is jewish!!!!! You repeat a lie often enough and most people can't find their way out of a paper bag to think that the reality might be something else.
HIV and AIDS doesn't even exist. The jewish media and the jewish pharma companies created this to kill people with poison. Watch AIDS Inc. The person who "discovered AIDS" is Robert Gallo who is jewish!!!!! You repeat a lie often enough and most people can't find their way out of a paper bag to think that the reality might be something else.
AIDS is a hoax created by the Pharma companies to genocide what NeoCon's consider undesirables. It is a genocide, not by disease, but by poisonous prescriptions that kill the patient; which can then be blamed on a "disease." The truth is coming out!!! Watch AIDS Inc plus google AIDS hoax and watch the videos that come up. Also questions that were not asked/anwsered in AIDS Inc that support this to be a hoax can be found by googling "20 Unanswerable Questions for AIDS Inc." The truth is coming out and those responsible for the deaths of innocent people will pay with their lives and souls.
Those who took the drug every day had 73% fewer infections than those who got the placebo. Abstinence is still 100%. It also shows better character.
AIDS was nothing more than an extortion ploy by the jewish media and jewish pharma companies who then poisoned people to convince others that this was a real disease. Research outside of the jewish media and you will find the truth as the jews are going to kill their money makers. Imagine people who will kill for their own avarice, now that is the only disease I see in the world.