Aggressive efforts to block new HIV infections are long overdue
Noting that the United States has suffered 50,000 new cases of HIV infection a year for well over a decade, Project Inform today said that the time to implement bold new HIV prevention methodologies is long overdue. A leader in advocacy for safe and effective treatments for HIV and hepatitis C and in patient education, the organization urged speedy FDA approval of Truvada, a medication used to treat HIV, for a prevention strategy called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP.
“As the gay male community and people of color continue to bear the brunt of this epidemic, it is critical that the nation adopt a more aggressive and evidence-based approach to preventing HIV,” said David Evans, Research Director of Project Inform. “Studies show that with strong support for its correct use, PrEP can be as much as 90 percent effective in preventing people at significant risk from becoming infected with HIV. The nation must seize on the opportunity presented by this new technology to prevent further harm to those most vulnerable to HIV.”
HIV/AIDS organizations across the country agree that new tools are needed to further reduce new infections, and support FDA approval of Truvada for prevention purposes. Along with Project Inform, many recognize how thoughtfully PrEP must be used. “PrEP requires taking Truvada every day, without fail. It also calls for the continued use of condoms during sex. It is a serious medical intervention that needs to be used carefully,” said Evans. “We trust people at highest risk for HIV to use PrEP effectively if they work in close consultation with a medical provider. And studies show that people at particularly high risk of acquiring HIV can use PrEP as it needs to be used. We also look forward to the results of additional research being done now that will demonstrate how PrEP can best be administered in order to achieve its full promise.”
“It is easy, but somewhat naïve, to say that people should just try harder to use condoms to prevent HIV,” said Dana Van Gorder, Project Inform’s Executive Director. “Communities hard hit by HIV have done a remarkable job of using them over the 30 years of this epidemic. As diligent as most people are about using condoms, it can be difficult to do so every time. It is not helpful to judge. The point is to get serious and break the back of this epidemic by providing people with meaningful assistance and support. We must give people at risk for HIV the ability to choose for themselves which proven prevention methods are most likely to respond to their needs in the effort to remain HIV-negative.”
Evans echoed those sentiments, pointing out that, “People with heart disease, diabetes and other serious medical problems actually do a worse job changing their behavior and developing healthy lifestyles than most people who attempt to use condoms consistently to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. We should recognize that just as people with heart disease have the added option of using statins to control high cholesterol, people at risk of HIV also need additional tools beyond condoms.”
Project Inform has been a leader in promoting an expansion of HIV testing and treatment for those who are HIV-positive as an important form of prevention, but says that treatment as prevention alone cannot stop the epidemic. “It is critical that we implement innovative new prevention interventions that HIV-negative individuals themselves control,” said Van Gorder. “Women and gay men alike sometimes have difficulty in assuring that their partners use condoms. PrEP gives them another way to prevent infection. We urge its speedy approval.”
To view Project Inform’s written submission to the FDA in support of approval of Truvada for PrEP, click here.
Contact: Dana Van Gorder 415.987.7061 or David Evans 626.241.8267