Moving Forward on FDA Review of HIV Prevention Drugs (HuffingtonPost) 
David Ernesto Munar, president and CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, writes in The Huffington Post about the efforts by several AIDS advocacy organizations to encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite its review of a medication that prevents HIV infection. Truvada, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, has emerged as a promising drug for a new HIV prevention strategy called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM).
Mr. Munar writes:
"We urge the FDA to immediately begin its review for approval of Truvada for PrEP for gay and bisexual men. Delaying FDA review of PrEP for gay and bi men is bad health policy that could result in many preventable new HIV-infections."
Although the preliminary evidence supporting the use of Truvada is highly encouraging, some AIDS advocates have been critical of PrEP. Over the last year, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has launched a media campaign against FDA review of Truvada for use as a PrEP drug. AHF contends, "Truvada lacks effectiveness in preventing the transmission of HIV. A rate of 44 percent preventive effectiveness is much too low to merit FDA approval." AHF also claims, "prevention using [PrEP] has not been shown to be as effective as condom-use in [MSM]." Additionally, AHF is concerned about adherence to PrEP: "How likely are uninfected men to take pills every day for the rest of their lives to prevent a possible HIV infection?"
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Complete article at Huffington Post : http://huff.to/vmyuaG
