AHF takes strong stance against pre-exposure AIDS treatment
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has taken a firm stance against Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) when it comes to homosexual men. According to materials and advertisements from the foundation, encouraging the use of PrEP is akin to encouraging unprotected sex among at-risk couples. SEE ALSO: New guidelines say ALL men who have sex with men need antiretroviral medication Earlier this year, the CDC issued information regarding the PrEP pill Truvada, stating PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92 if taken every day. When combined with other HIV/AIDS prevention methods, like condom use, PrEP was the most effective means of protection against the deadly virus. WHO later released recommendations stating all men who have sex with men should be taking antiretroviral medications in addition to current preventative methods. “We already know if someone has HIV, using treatment drastically reduces the likelihood of them passing it on, as does using condoms, Dr. Rosemary Gillespie, the chief executive of the British charity Terrence Higgins Trust, told the BBC. The idea of treatment as prevention is not new, but the idea of extending treatment to HIV-negative people from high-risk groups is. Though the recommendations appear straight-forward and sensible, expert opinions gathered by the AHF are conflicting. “Despite the fact that CDC and a number of other agencies, ASOs and activists have fully jumped on the PrEP bandwagon, if one looks carefully, there really appears to be no clear-cut consensus that overwhelmingly favors widespread use of PrEP, said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in a statement. “For one, the paucity of prescriptions written for Truvada for PrEP to date suggests there is certainly no consensus among medical providers that PrEP is a panacea for prevention. And, as the comments and facts cited in our current ad indicate, many respected sourcesincluding physicians and researchers, long-time AIDS activists as well as some journalistshave shown that they understand that PrEP is a more complicated HIV prevention strategy with some significant drawbacks.” Among the drawbacks noted by experts are the cost of PrEP as well as a false sense of security it may provide the male homosexual population. Condom use between long-term partners is generally frowned upon, and offering a daily pill may encourage men to forgo condoms in other situations. Globally, the price of PrEP may be too high to properly introduce it into regions where it is most needed. “From a scientific standpoint, there really is a good reason to believe that if properly done, it will work,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a retroviruses conference, held in February. However, “If we can’t get 70 percent of the people who are infected in low- and middle-income countries on therapy, how are we going to get people who aren’t even infected on therapy?” The same notion applies even among people who can afford Truvada. Purchasing a daily medication may be seen as an unneeded expense among men having sex with men who don’t feel they will be exposed to HIV. SEE ALSO: HIV pill shows more promise against infection Assumed lack of exposure to HIV isn’t a good excuse, however, noted Dr. Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of the HIV Department at WHO, in a statement. None of these people live in isolation,” he said. “Sex workers and their clients have husbands, wives and partners. Some inject drugs. Many have children. Failure to provide services to the people who are at greatest risk of HIV jeopardizes further progress against the global epidemic and threatens the health and well-being of individuals, their families and the broader community. Unfortunately, until there is more agreement on one side of the PrEP argument or the other, individuals in HIV high-risk groups will have to weigh the benefits and the risks to decide if they feel Truvada is appropriate for them.The post AHF takes strong stance against pre-exposure AIDS treatment appeared first on Voxxi.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has taken a firm stance against Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) when it comes to homosexual men. According to materials and advertisements from the foundation, encouraging the use of PrEP is akin to encouraging unprotected sex among at-risk couples.
SEE ALSO: New guidelines say ALL men who have sex with men need antiretroviral medication
Earlier this year, the CDC issued information regarding the PrEP pill Truvada, stating PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92 if taken every day. When combined with other HIV/AIDS prevention methods, like condom use, PrEP was the most effective means of protection against the deadly virus.
WHO later released recommendations stating all men who have sex with men should be taking antiretroviral medications in addition to current preventative methods.
“We already know if someone has HIV, using treatment drastically reduces the likelihood of them passing it on, as does using condoms, Dr. Rosemary Gillespie, the chief executive of the British charity Terrence Higgins Trust, told the BBC. The idea of treatment as prevention is not new, but the idea of extending treatment to HIV-negative people from high-risk groups is.
Though the recommendations appear straight-forward and sensible, expert opinions gathered by the AHF are conflicting.
“Despite the fact that CDC and a number of other agencies, ASOs and activists have fully jumped on the PrEP bandwagon, if one looks carefully, there really appears to be no clear-cut consensus that overwhelmingly favors widespread use of PrEP, said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in a statement.
“For one, the paucity of prescriptions written for Truvada for PrEP to date suggests there is certainly no consensus among medical providers that PrEP is a panacea for prevention. And, as the comments and facts cited in our current ad indicate, many respected sourcesincluding physicians and researchers, long-time AIDS activists as well as some journalistshave shown that they understand that PrEP is a more complicated HIV prevention strategy with some significant drawbacks.”
Among the drawbacks noted by experts are the cost of PrEP as well as a false sense of security it may provide the male homosexual population. Condom use between long-term partners is generally frowned upon, and offering a daily pill may encourage men to forgo condoms in other situations. Globally, the price of PrEP may be too high to properly introduce it into regions where it is most needed.
“From a scientific standpoint, there really is a good reason to believe that if properly done, it will work,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a retroviruses conference, held in February. However, “If we can’t get 70 percent of the people who are infected in low- and middle-income countries on therapy, how are we going to get people who aren’t even infected on therapy?”
The same notion applies even among people who can afford Truvada. Purchasing a daily medication may be seen as an unneeded expense among men having sex with men who don’t feel they will be exposed to HIV.
SEE ALSO: HIV pill shows more promise against infection
Assumed lack of exposure to HIV isn’t a good excuse, however, noted Dr. Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of the HIV Department at WHO, in a statement.
None of these people live in isolation,” he said. “Sex workers and their clients have husbands, wives and partners. Some inject drugs. Many have children. Failure to provide services to the people who are at greatest risk of HIV jeopardizes further progress against the global epidemic and threatens the health and well-being of individuals, their families and the broader community.
Unfortunately, until there is more agreement on one side of the PrEP argument or the other, individuals in HIV high-risk groups will have to weigh the benefits and the risks to decide if they feel Truvada is appropriate for them.
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The post AHF takes strong stance against pre-exposure AIDS treatment appeared first on Voxxi.
