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Gilead’s Pill Wins U.S. Panel Backing to Prevent HIV
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-10/gilead-s-pill-wins-u-s-panel-backing-to-prevent-hiv.htmlGilead Sciences Inc. (GILD)’s HIV drug Truvada won the backing of a U.S. advisory panel as the first medicine to keep healthy people from getting the virus through sexual activity.
The panel of doctors, researchers and patients voted that Truvada, currently marketed to treat those infected with HIV, is safe and effective as a form of prevention in high-risk individuals, including gay men whose partners have the disease. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide by June 15 and doesn’t have to follow the panel’s recommendation.
AIDS advocates have debated whether a drug to prevent the virus will be used appropriately. Opponents said the pill may give users a false sense of security and could increase risky behavior. Supporters say it’s a needed tool to reduce infections. A majority of advisers said the risk of misuse or developing resistance didn’t outweigh the potential benefit.
“This matters so much. We have got to get this out there,” said Nancy Padian, a member of the panel and an adjunct professor at University of California, Berkeley.
