PROUD study reveals that PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV infection by 86%.
by Patrick Cash
The PROUD study has been lead by researchers at UCL and Public Health England, in partnership with twelve NHS trusts in England. They were looking at whether daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) given to men who have sex with men was a reliable way to prevent them from becoming infected if exposed to the virus.
The pill used in the trial, Truvada, is already widely prescribed to people already infected with HIV. The researchers highlighted that Men who had sex with men (MSM) who took part in the trial were at very high risk of HIV and that PrEP is highly effective in a real world setting. The researchers concluded that PrEP offers a major new opportunity to curb newly acquired HIV infections in MSM in the UK, of which there were an estimated 2,800 in 2013.
‘To me, the results of the PrEP study are the most exciting news in the fight against HIV since antiretroviral therapy became available,’ said Leigh Chislett, Clinic Manager at Soho sexual health clinic 56 Dean Street, an instrumental part of the PROUD study. ‘At 56 Dean Street and Dean Street Express alone we are diagnosing 30-40 people a month HIV positive.
“PROUD study reveals that PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV infection by 86%. “
‘PrEP could significantly reduce this and I could not be more happy about it. What is significant is despite what some critics may say there was no increase in STIs with people on the study, so it would seem taking PrEP does not change sexual behaviour. As one patient on the study said: ‘Being on PrEP has for the first time in my life allowed me to have sex without fear.’’
London’s largest HIV charity, Positive East, also welcomed the news.
‘This is really good news in our battle against HIV,’ said the Director of Positive East, Mark Santos. ‘HIV is preventable and PrEP is a very welcome addition to the prevention ‘toolbox’. It won’t be the right choice for everyone but we welcome all ways to prevent HIV infection. We believe it should be available for free on the NHS.
‘We know it is expensive but it is much, much cheaper than the costs of a lifetime of HIV treatment. Prevention is always cheaper than a cure. In this case much cheaper, as there is no cure for HIV… We now want to see the trial extended to other high-risk groups, including the African and Afro-Caribbean communities.’
The number of people living with HIV in the UK is now at its highest level ever with over 110,000 people infected. It is estimated that 20% of the people infected with HIV don’t know they are carrying the virus.
