The Proof Is In The Prep-ing

By Kyle Harris

Global HIV researchers got a healthy dose of good news recently: Two European studies prove pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) works against HIV transmission.

The PROUD study, from England, began in 2012. Researchers recruited subjects from 13 sexual health clinics. The 545 participants had reported having had anal sex without a condom with another man in the past three months and were likely to do so again soon. Half of the participants received PReP immediately; others were given sugar pills.

The study was called off when it was clear that the people given the placebo were contracting HIV at significantly higher rates than the people on PrEP.

“In the study, there were 1.3 new infections per 100 person-years in the group given PrEP immediately, and 8.9 per 100 person-years in the group who were not yet on PrEP.

The 86-percent protection from daily PrEP reported by the study is the highest reported from any randomized controlled trial of PrEP to date,” according to the PROUD research team.

The second study, IPERGAY came out of France and tested a flexible dosing model. Subjects were administered two pills within 24 hours before having unprotected sex and a follow-up pill the first and second day hence. IPERGAY researchers also found PrEP to be 86 percent effective in preventing contraction.

The Director of HIV/STD Prevention and Control at Denver Health Mark Thrun says the research isn’t surprising, but it’s good news nonetheless. “It adds to the body of literature that Truvada as an HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis works,” he tells Out Front.

He doubts the CDC will shift its recommendation that patients use Truvada as PrEP less frequently than daily; however, patients may look at the research and opt to use the drug around infrequent high-risk events while avoiding a daily dose.