Study Finds HIV Drugs Help Prevent It, Too

Taking standard HIV treatment drugs can also help prevent infection in men who have sex with men, a new study has found. Men who took daily doses of Truvada reduced their risk of infection by 44%. Rates of infection were even lower among men who took the pills regularly, as prescribed. The study included nearly 2,500 men and transgender women who had sex with men. They were more likely than average to have multiple partners, trade sex for money and have sex without condoms. At the start of the study, they were not infected with HIV. They were randomly divided into two groups of similar size. Men in one group took Truvada daily. The others took a placebo (fake) pill. Truvada includes the HIV drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir. All of the men received counseling and condoms. The study lasted up to 2.8 years.