'Wonder drug' which can reduce HIV risk by 92% could be

An HIV 'wonder drug' could be made available on the NHS, in what has been hailed as the most significant breakthrough against the virus in a generation.

A landmark trial in England is to be sped up after interim analysis of the the drug Truvada found it to be 'highly protective against HIV'.

Campaigners have urged the NHS to offer the medication – which has been approved for use in the U.S. since 2012 – to vulnerable groups as soon as possible.

A 'wonder drug' which can reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 92 per cent could be offered on the NHS, as a landmark trial into the drug's use could be sped up

 

U.S. guidelines say the tablet offers up to a 92 per cent reduction in the risk of contracting HIV - if taken every day. 

Truvada is a drug which provides 'pre-exposure prophylaxis' (PrEP).

This involves giving antiretroviral drugs - usually prescribed to treat HIV - to people who don't have the virus but are at a high risk of exposure to it.

NHS England have now set up a group looking into the viability offering Truvada on the NHS, as it is already known PrEP effectively protects against HIV.

As part of the trial, Truvada was prescribed to 407 men taking part in a study in Brighton, London, York, Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield.

A further 138 men who were on the 'deferred arm' of the trial, originally due to receive the drug in a year's time, will now be offered it immediately. 

 

WHAT IS PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS? 

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. 

The pill (brand name Truvada) contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) that are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV. 

When someone is exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use, these medicines can work to keep the virus from establishing a permanent infection.

When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92per cent. 

PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently.

PrEP is a powerful HIV prevention tool and can be combined with condoms and other prevention methods to provide even greater protection than when used alone. 

But people who use PrEP must commit to taking the drug every day and seeing their health care provider for follow-up every three months.

 Source: Centres for Disease and Control Preventions

Lead researcher Dr Sheena McCormack, from the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, who led the PROUD study told MailOnline: 'It’s the first HIV prevention trial of this scale that’s ever been done in the UK.

'To fast-track the trial is completely unexpected. When we started we didn't expect we would achieve a result in this number. 

'We were just seeing if we could recruit enough men.

'This is a real key piece of evidence that the policy group will put forward to make the case for the drug to be available on the NHS.

'These are great results, but we really want to understand them.

She added that a national trial could provide more information that would help NHS England make its decision.

She said: 'The early adopters might be very good at taking the tablets

'A national study might find people might not be so good at taking them.

'We need to look at how long people stay on it, do people carry on taking it?'

She added: 'A HIV test only gives you the results for your status six weeks ago. So you could leave the clinic today with a HIV negative and be highly infectious.

'So PrEP has a key role for people in between HIV tests.

'It’s really exciting, and I’m not going to give up. You don’t do research if you don’t want it to be put into clinical practice.'

The results of the trial will be published early next year and it is hoped that it could be rolled out nationally in 2017.

The study includes HIV-negative gay and bisexual men and transgender women who reported having anal sex without condoms recently.

All participants were offered regular testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, condoms and safer sex support.

Researchers hope to answer questions such as whether PrEP will lead to a reduction in the use of condoms and its impact on the spread of other sexually transmitted diseases.

Truvada has been approved for use in the U.S. since 2012, and is recommended for groups at high risk of exposure to HIV, such as non-monogamous couples and people who inject drugs

Dr Rosemary Gillespie, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: 'This is potentially the most exciting development in HIV prevention in some years. 

'For a trial to be fast-tracked in this way is rare, and shows just how much confidence researchers have in PrEP as a tool to reduce the spread of HIV. 

'A number of questions remain unanswered, including how PrEP will be made available and who will be able to access it. 

'The PROUD study has accelerated their part of the process. 

'We will now be looking to the NHS to match that pace, and act swiftly to ensure those most at risk of HIV in the UK can access PrEP.' 

U.S. studied found participants who took TRuvada every day reduced their HIV infection risk by up to 92 per cent

Yusef Azad, director of policy and campaigns at NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: 'The announcement that the PROUD study has already shown such a significant benefit in preventing HIV transmission is exciting and welcome news. 

'HIV transmission in the UK remains far too high, especially among gay men, and we need to add to the prevention options available. These encouraging results provide powerful evidence that PrEP should be accessible to all who need it as soon as possible.'

At the end of 2013, 35 million people were living with HIV, according to World Health Organisation statistics. 

In May this year, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. recommend that PrEP be considered for people who are HIV-negative and at substantial risk for HIV.

This includes gay or bisexual men who have had unprotected sex in the last six months, men who do not regularly use condoms, someone in a relationship with a person who is HIV- positive and people who inject drugs.

The decision followed from studies which found that taking Truvada daily reduced the risk of HIV by an average of 44 per cent when compared with a placebo. 

A quarter of participants who took Truvada every day reduced their HIV infection risk by 92 per cent compared with a placebo, although researchers warned this could be an overestimate, as people who took their drug many have also reduced the risk in other ways. 

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