| From: |
Adeyemo Gabriel [ profile ] |
| Subject: |
Trial halted for pill to stop HIV in women
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| Sent: |
Apr 28th, 2011 - 20:22:39 |
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Source:* Wall Street Journal*
AUTHOR: Mark Schoofs
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704004004576270862314042924.html
My fellow advocate, this is another heart breaken news for me in the
prevention science field but i believe its for the best to happen
soonest.........
A highly anticipated trial to determine whether existing AIDS drugs taken
by mouth can ward off HIV infection in women has been stopped early, in a
setback in the search for ways to prevent the disease. Researchers said
Monday they had called off the trial among high-risk women in Africa because
they weren't able to determine whether use of antiretroviral medication
produced any benefit. The study tested whether taking the medication once a
day could prevent uninfected women from contracting the AIDS virus,
estimated to infect more than 2.5 million people each year. Several
researchers lamented the result as "disappointing"--and surprising, because
virtually the same prevention method was proved successful just last year in
a large, multi-country trial among gay men. Researchers speculated that
physiological differences between men and women might be at play, or that
participants in the women's trial might not have adhered to the regimen as
closely as the gay men did.
The early halt to the trial is particularly frustrating because it leaves
unanswered the fundamental question of whether the intervention works in
women, researchers said. But at least two other studies in Africa are
continuing that could answer the question of whether AIDS drugs taken orally
can prevent HIV infection in women. In another surprise finding, women in
the study taking the antiretroviral medication were more likely to get
pregnant than women taking a placebo. This was true despite the fact that
96% of women in the study were on oral or injectable contraceptives when the
study began. There is no known interaction between the antiretroviral drugs
and hormone contraceptives, said researchers in the study. They said they
would analyze their data to try to tease out if there might be such an
interaction. Pregnancies were highest among women taking oral
contraceptives, as opposed to longer-lasting injectables, raising the
possibility they conceived because they had lapsed in taking their
contraceptive pills. Because the study was stopped early, researchers are
finishing collecting the results. They will then analyze them to try to
answer the lingering questions.
The randomized, placebo-controlled trial, called FEM-PrEP, was carried out
among 1,951 women in South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania by FHI, a non-profit
global health and development organization, with major funding from the
United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, and additional
funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Approximately half the
women were given Truvada, a pill that combines two antiretroviral
medications, tenofovir and emtracitabine; the other half were given a
placebo. Fifty-six infections occurred overall, with exactly half among
women taking a placebo and half among women taking the active drug.
For more information, go to
www.avac.org/prep
.
--
Many Thanks
Yours' in Prevention Science
Adeyemo Damilare Gabriel
Regional Focal Point - West Africa
Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AID (GYCA)
+234-80-6798-7317 | gabriel (at) gyca.org
www.gyca.org | www.tigweb.org
GYCA is a youth-led global network of more than 4,500 young leaders and
adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 150 countries world-wide.
GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge,
resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions
amongst their peers.
Universal Access is possible; *
Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths.**
*
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