HIV treatment finally has a game-changer, and it’s called Truvada | Michael Brady

If the NHS and policymakers are bold, HIV in the UK could become a thing of the past

The widely reported Proud study shows just how effective pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be at preventing HIV transmission. PrEP is, quite simply, a game-changer and represents a wake up call for the government, NHS England and local authorities to make PrEP a key component in our strategy to defeat HIV.

Over the past 30 years of the HIV epidemic in the UK, we have seen enormous change for the better; mostly driven by the increasing range of effective antiretroviral therapies. Their success means that HIV should no longer be a terminal illness but a manageable long-term condition; people on successful therapy with fully suppressed virus can expect a normal life expectancy, are not infectious to others, and we can reliably prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

'We would only need to treat 13 men for a year to prevent one HIV infection'

Related: Daily pill Truvada cuts spread of HIV by 86%, study shows

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