3 ms·

This is a medication that’s far beyond the clinical trial phase and is widely available in many countries, though still subject to some large-scale trials for t

This is a medication that’s far beyond the clinical trial phase and is widely available in many countries, though still subject to some large-scale trials for this particular usage. There’s lots of information on sites like https://www.iwantprepnow.co.uk https://www.iwantprepnow.co.uk - it’s available through the healthcare system in some parts of the UK, purchasable privately in others, and from what I understand available on some insurances in the US. It’s a combination of two antiretroviral drugs also used in HIV treatment (Tenofovir and Emtricitabine) and the effectiveness of it can’t really be overstated - my understanding is that there are only two documented cases of someone correctly using this drug becoming HIV-positive, and in both cases due to rare strains with resistance to both drugs. It’s not a vaccine, but it does change the picture massively for at-risk groups.

craftyguy 8y ago
> and in both cases due to rare strains with resistance to both drugs. So then it is only a matter of time before we have 'super' HIV strains that are resistant running around. Perhaps it's not such a great idea to have large numbers of people exposing these drugs to the virus regularly, else we'll end up with more resistant strains..
- matthewmacleod 8y ago
  I'm not a virologist, but my understanding is that the lifecycle of HIV makes that unlikely. An individual must be infected with the virus in order for drug resistance to emerge; using PReP prevents infection from happening in the first place by stopping viral replication. HIV is quite hard to transmit – someone who is not infected or who is on a stable treatment regime can't transmit the virus to anybody, so resistance isn't much of a concern there. The bigger risk of drug-resistant strains emerging is due to poor adherence to medication regimes. Missing doses of antiretroviral therapy can cause drug resistance to emerge rapidly, as viral replication is no longer suppressed and HIV mutates like crazy.
- root_axis 8y ago
  So what are you suggesting exactly, an end to vaccines? What makes HIV any different?
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    That is not a vaccine... No antibodies are created by the body to attack HIV. There's a big difference.

craftyguy 8y ago

> and in both cases due to rare strains with resistance to both drugs. So then it is only a matter of time before we have 'super' HIV strains that are resistant running around. Perhaps it's not such a great idea to have large numbers of people exposing these drugs to the virus regularly, else we'll end up with more resistant strains..

matthewmacleod 8y ago
I'm not a virologist, but my understanding is that the lifecycle of HIV makes that unlikely. An individual must be infected with the virus in order for drug resistance to emerge; using PReP prevents infection from happening in the first place by stopping viral replication. HIV is quite hard to transmit – someone who is not infected or who is on a stable treatment regime can't transmit the virus to anybody, so resistance isn't much of a concern there. The bigger risk of drug-resistant strains emerging is due to poor adherence to medication regimes. Missing doses of antiretroviral therapy can cause drug resistance to emerge rapidly, as viral replication is no longer suppressed and HIV mutates like crazy.
root_axis 8y ago
So what are you suggesting exactly, an end to vaccines? What makes HIV any different?
- craftyguy 8y ago
  That is not a vaccine... No antibodies are created by the body to attack HIV. There's a big difference.