2 of 3 Studies Back HIV Drugs for Prevention

Final results from 2 studies suggest that taking HIV medicines can also help to prevent the disease in high-risk people. All of the studies were done in Africa. One included 1,219 heterosexual men and women. They were randomly assigned to receive either two antiviral drugs or placebo (fake) pills. The drugs were tenofovir and emtricitabine. People who got the real drugs were 60% less likely to become infected with HIV. The second study involved more than 4,700 heterosexual couples. One partner in each couple was infected with HIV. The non-infected partners took a pill daily. The pills contained the same 2 drugs used in the first study, tenofovir alone, or no medicine (placebo). Infection rates were 67% to 75% lower for those who got the real drugs. A third study included 2,120 women. It did not find a benefit from antiviral drugs. But many women admitted skipping pills often.