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HIV Pill Truvada Prevents Disease if Taken Daily



Scientists have created a new drug that prevents HIV. But there is one catch. One has to take the pill daily in order for it to be effective.

The Food and Drug Administration are scheduled to hold a meeting to approve its use among those who are at high-risk of contracting disease, the Associated Press reports.

The FDA are meeting to decide if Truvada should be approved for those who fall in the following categories:

– gay and bisexual men
– men or women in relationship with HIV- positive partners
– other people at risk of acquiring through sexual activity.

Scientists behind Truvada have cited promising results to back its claim of the breakthrough drug. In a three-year study, daily intake cuts the risk of infection in healthy gay and bisexual men by 44 percent. Another study found the drug reduced infection by 75 percent in heterosexual couple in which one partner had the disease and the other did not.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a disease that has become a global epidemic. If not treated, the disease can turn into AIDS, which can be fatal as it compromises the body’s immune system.

1.2 million Americans live with HIV.

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