ALEX VAUGHN
There is a new blue pill that is set to revolutionize our attitudes towards HIV and safe sex. I’d even go as far as to say that this pill will make us question the entire idea of sexual responsibility. The pill is Truvada PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and it is already available in a pharmacy near you.
Truvada has been widely used in the treatment of HIV positive individuals. However, as early as this year, the FDA is poised to approve the drug as a means to prevent infection. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already have in place a set of guidelines for using this pill as a prevention method against HIV.
In theory, this little blue pill has the potential to do as much harm as good, just like Viagra has. Of course with Viagra the situation is markedly different. As with all medications, Viagra comes with side effects and warning labels. It isn’t, or shouldn’t be, a daily pill. There is no regime to be followed. There is also a completely different mindset attached to it. Viagra is not a preventative health aide; Truvada is.
The studies shown to determine the effectiveness of the pill as a preventative method were favorable, obviously leading to the FDA’s considerations. The variables and conditions to its success, however, are many and they are all relevant. The fear of course is those concerns will fall to the wayside when we are discussing the simplicity of one blue pill to protect you from the worst contagious disease affecting the community and the world.
When taken daily, Truvada had been shown to be 95% effective at preventing infection with HIV. Those who did become infected during the trial period were shown to not have enough of the drug in their systems indicating that these subjects did not adhere to the daily regime.
The study has clearly shown that one must be completely strict with the one-aday regime. Unlike Viagra, Truvada is not a “pop it on the weekend” sort of recreational drug. It is a lifestyle choice. With multiple partners and promiscuity, protection will not exist if one only pops a pill before hitting the hay.
In addition, the studies indicate that the best role for this pill is in relationships that are serodiscordant. Meaning one partner has HIV and the other doesn’t. In this situation, adherence is more likely as there is a strong mutual desire for protection.
Furthermore Truvada is not something you can pick up from a buddy with a party supply kit. It simply won’t work. You need to consult with an HIV specialist and determine whether it is for you, while noting that this is not a 100% protection against HIV.
Sex, as pleasurable as it is, comes with other risks, syphilis, HEP and a host of nearly 12 million other STDS. Truvada doesn’t protect you from any of these. Only condoms will.
This is undoubtedly a great step forward and an amazing change to the landscape of sexual interaction between partners of mismatched status. In addition with the hope that it remains successful, it will help breakdown prejudices towards HIV+ people.
That said, the danger of unleashing such a powerful statement into the community is astronomical. The reality is that the warnings are going to get lost in the simple message of “one little pill for HIV protection.” There will be many responsible people who will research, try, test and get to grips with this pill. There are more who will breathe a sigh of relief and pop a pill before they do the deed and think nothing of it.
This will also go a step to downgrade HIV further, from a dangerous and life threatening disease with potential complications to a totally manageable disease. After all, how bad can it be if you can prevent it with a little blue pill? The real danger is that this disease will no longer be seen as manageable with side effects, but rather as no big deal at all.
As HIV infections continue to rise in Florida, the need for prevention is undoubtedly present and the message needs to be loud and clear. Though the study was quick to indicate that condoms were offered free of charge and that their use in studies had increased, the reality is who will bear that in mind. If you are less than strict with your condom use, are you really going to become more stringent when you know you’ve popped a pill?
This “pop a pill” mentality is found not only within the community, but in the nation as a whole. You can’t watch TV for more that 20 seconds before some pill is being advertised, for something or other, from depression to restless leg syndrome.
Add the prospect of another pill, and it doesn’t faze or frighten everyone. It, in fact, makes life so much easier. Why worry about condoms or status when you just need to remember to pop a little pill everyday?
The flip side is that despite the fact that you are not sick, you are providing your body with a medication to which it may react badly, and all to avoid a condom? There is also the question of what happens if you do maintain the treatment, yet still fall into the 5% that contract the virus anyway. Have you screwed yourself ? Will your body have built a tolerance to one of the most widely used treatments for HIV?
It has been noted by the study’s doctors that resistance cannot develop with the use of this pill since actual infection has not taken place. However condoms remain the main protector. Unfortunately, at the same time, the same doctors noted that many people had already stopped using condoms. Truvada would offer another protection route.
The coverage of one-a-day medications complete with the shiny happy people on the HIV medication adverts suggests that life goes on. This has allowed a generation who never experienced the 80’s to have a blasé attitude to the disease. The real danger is that lost amid the excitement of the availability of Truvada, the horror of AIDS will be forgotten.
Alex Vaughn is the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Agenda. He can be reached at editor@FloridaAgenda.com
