PrEP, a preventive treatment to avoid getting the AIDS virus, is very effective as long as you have the right doses and the right frequency, according to a real-life study published Tuesday in the journal The Lancet Public Health.
PrEP (for pre-exposure prophylaxis) is for people who are HIV negative. The person following him takes antiretroviral pills (Truvada and its generics) to prevent HIV contamination during sex without a condom.
Until now, the efficacy of this treatment had been demonstrated by clinical trials, but there was no real-life comparative study to confirm it.
A new study conducted by EPI-PHARE, which associates the Health Insurance (Cnam) and the Medicines Agency (ANSM), shows that, among men at high risk of sexual HIV infection in France, the efficacy of PrEP in real life it reaches a very high level. high level. But provided that the observance of this preventive treatment is good.
A level of efficacy close to that of clinical trials
The results show that the effectiveness of PrEP reaches a level close to that reported in clinical trials, when only men who take between three quarters and one box of Truvada per month (93% effectiveness) or periods without interruption are considered. ).
Compared with men who remained seronegative, those infected with HIV at follow-up had used PrEP less frequently (29% vs. 49%). Those taking PrEP had more often had low Truvada use, meaning less than one box of 30 tablets every two months (78% vs. 40%) and/or prolonged interruptions (d at least three months) from their treatment (74% versus 40%).
The efficacy of PrEP appears to be reduced in men under 30 years of age and in CMUc (universal complementary health insurance), among whom Truvada use is low and PrEP interruptions are particularly frequent.
“Reinforcing efforts to improve adherence to PrEP is essential to ensure its effectiveness, especially among young people and the disadvantaged,” said Rosemary Dray-Spira, Deputy Director of EPI-PHARE.
Source: BFM TV
