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With a Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) panel’s endorsement of the use of the drug Truvada to prevent HIV
infection, the 30-year battle against the AIDS epidemic is advancing to a new
phase, advocates say.
“With this recommendation, we’re
nearing a watershed moment in our fight against HIV,” said James Loduca, a
spokesperson for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “We know this isn’t a magic
bullet, and it’s not going to be the right prevention strategy for everyone,
but it could save thousands of lives in the United States and potentially
millions around the world.”
Truvada has been on the US market as
an HIV treatment since 2004. It is already being prescribed off-label by some
doctors for preventing HIV infection in certain patients who are healthy but at
risk. If FDA expands approval to formally sanction this use, insurance
companies could likely cover the cost. And widening the market could prompt
Truvada’s maker, Gilead Sciences Inc., to lower its price - currently around
$11,000 to $14,000 a year.
Truvada is available in poor
countries for as little as $9 per month, said a Gilead spokesperson, but
generic versions will not be available in the United States until after the US
patent expires in 2021.
Truvada can cause kidney and liver
problems. But for some people, the risk of kidney problems “10 years down the line
may be less than the risk for acquiring HIV, which is significantly more
problematic and can be fatal,” said Jim Pickett, prevention advocacy director
at AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
FDA’s decision is expected by June
15.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
