Daily HIV prophylactic drug Truvada for high-risk population is expected to curb the HIV epidemic

Photo: Jeff ChiuHIV screening is critical, and the U.SPreventive Services Task Force reiterated its long-standing recommendation that everyone between the ages of 15 and 65, and anyone who becomes pregnant, should be screened regularly, a key step in early treatment for life-saving treatmentStudies have shown that healthy people are significantly less likely to be infected with HIV-positive sexual partners or injected by drugs if they take certain HIV drugs every daymethod, known as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is currently being used in the United States as a drug called Truvada (a combination of two drugs) for HIV infection preventionThe U.SPreventive Services Task Force says PrEP is only available for people at high risk of infection, including people with HIV-positive partners, people who are not at high risk of contracting with condoms, and people who share syringes to inject drugsOther researchers are also urging the use of Truvada as a preventive measure against high-risk HIV infection, with only 17 percent of people benefiting from Truvada prescriptions last year, according to an editorialUnder former President Barack Obama's health care law, private insurers should follow the recommendations of the U.SPreventive Services Working Group on what preventive care should cover, and some companies don't have to pay for itresearchers say the latest recommendation is particularly important because drug costs are a major obstacle, with Truvada's average monthly retail cost of $2,000 if not insured, and the federal government announced last month that Truvada maker Gilead Sciences had agreed to provide free PrEP therapy to up to 200,000 people a year for the uninsuredthere are about 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, the Trump administration has also developed policies aimed at ending the EPIDEMIC within 10 yearsoriginal origin:US Fort Service Task ForcePreexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection, JAMA (2019)DOI: 10.1001/jama.2019.6390