News & Events

Anti-HIV pill safe among gay, bisexual adolescent boys

Posted on September 05, 2017

Source: Reuters

Anti-HIV pill safe among gay, bisexual adolescent boys

"A pill that protects against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be safely used by young men who have sex with men, according to a new study.

In a diverse group of teen boys at high risk for HIV infection, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the form of a pill that combines the drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate was well tolerated, researchers found.

'I do hope clinicians increase their comfort with being able to provide PrEP to adolescents,' said lead author Sybil Hosek, a clinical psychologist and HIV researcher at Cook County Health and Hospitals System’s Stroger Hospital in Chicago.

She hopes the new data will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will encourage the agency to approve the pill for use by younger people. The pill is currently approved for HIV prevention in adults."

Continue reading.

Read the JAMA article here.

Read the editorial from the CFAR AYA SWG's Dr. Renata Arrington-Sanders here.