BANGKOK, 14 June 2013 Thailand and the United States have declared a success in their research to prevent HIV infections, saying their studies show that the generic anti-retroviral drug Tenofovir was 74 percent effective.
US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Pirapong Saichua, and BMA project chief Khajit Chupanya announced the research results at a joint press conference at the Bangkok municipality hall. According to them, if Tenofovir is taken every day, it will help prevent HIV infections in intravenous drug users.
The BMA said that the research provided a proof of effectiveness in the treatment approach known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, in which HIV treatments are given to uninfected people who are at high risk of HIV infection.
The research started in 2005 on 2,413 male and female subjects. The BMA said even though the study was successfully done, the subjects still have to be provided with Tenofovir for 1 more year to see further results.
Tenofovir is a medicine that is used to prevent HIV from multiplying and spreading to uninfected cells in human’s body.
