Licenced drugs used for treating HIV/AIDS could be a possible tool for prevention of the infection, according to researchers.
The need for prevention of HIV/AIDS has become more urgent with 4.9 million new HIV cases reported last year globally. Researchers have begun to assess antiretrovirals in preventing the infection, according to AIDS Vaccine Bulletin.
The study is based on the idea that those travelling to countries where malaria is endemic often take drugs for malaria to protect themselves and a similar approach is being tested for HIV/AIDS by researchers, the bulletin said.
This idea is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis and is being tested in five ongoing clinical trials. "We urgently need new types of prevention tools and PrEP is one of the many promising strategies, like microbicides and vaccines," Albert Liu, an investigator for one of the PrEP trials in the US.
Many researchers have concerns that giving drugs that are known to be effective for treating the disease could encourage people to participate in more risky behaviour, an idea known as behavioral disinhibition, which could lead to higher risk of infection.
But investigators involved in clinical trials insist that measures are in place to limit this effect.
If found effective, PrEP may have the greatest benefit for people who are unable to negotiate use of traditional barrier methods and therefore, have few options when it comes to HIV prevention.
More than two decades ago when AIDS was first described in medical literature, there was no medicine to treat but at present there are more than 20 ARVs licenced by the USFDA which have dramatically improved the health of millions around the globe.
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