This is a very interesting study, leading to the conclusion that over the so-far 2.5 year span of the study in a high-risk group, Truvada, the drug used in pre-exposure prophylaxis has provided 100% protection against HIV. What marks this study as different from the other more highly controlled studies is that it was done under real-world conditions (i.e. under higher risk), where adherence to the drug is most likely less than the prescribed once-a-day regimen. What was more disturbing was the admission by those in the study that they used condoms less because they are on the drug (41%) vs. 56% who claimed they used condoms as regularly as before. Remember that Truvada does not protect against any of the other STDs including Hep C, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, among others. The study was conducted in 600 people (99% gay or bisexual men) whose average individual time in the study was 7.2 months. Weaknesses in the study include the absence of a placebo arm and the average age of the participants (37 years), I would have considered younger individuals, say between 20 and 25 to have been also part of a high-risk population.
