For Immediate Release
Media
Contact:
Cub
Barrett, Program Communications Manager|
(212)
806-1602
NEW
YORK, July 16, 2012—amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research on Monday announced
its support of the FDA’s decision to approve use of the antiretroviral drug Truvada
as an option for HIV prevention.
The
decision follows a May 10 recommendation by an advisory panel to the agency,
which said that Truvada, currently approved for HIV treatment, is also a safe
and effective means to prevent infection in sexually active adults. The drug,
manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc., was studied in several major trials that
demonstrated the once-daily pill, when taken consistently, significantly reduces
the chances of acquiring HIV.
As part of
a coalition of AIDS advocacy organizations, amfAR called on the FDA earlier
this year to approve Truvada as PrEP, and, in testimony before the advisory
panel, emphasized the need for demonstration projects to determine how PrEP can
be used for optimal public health impact. The coalition of groups has called on
the government to immediately enact policy measures and education initiatives
to ensure those who could most benefit from PrEP have access to it.
“Now
that the FDA has approved Truvada as part of a comprehensive approach to reduce
HIV infection rates in the U.S. and globally, we need to quickly determine how
we’re going to incorporate it into our prevention strategies and goals,” said
amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost. “We know that Truvada, when taken as directed,
works. Now we need to figure out how to properly use it to change the course of
the epidemic.”
“We need
to use multiple combined approaches to bring HIV incidence down in the U.S. and
globally,” said Chris Collins, amfAR’s vice president and director of public
policy. “While our ultimate goal is to find a cure for HIV, PrEP offers us a
tool we can use today to prevent new infections among those most at risk.”
About
amfAR
amfAR,
The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit
organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention,
treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy.
Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $366 million in its programs and has
awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide.