HIV ‘wonder drug’ may be made available on NHS in UK

An HIV 'wonder drug' could be made available on the NHS, in what had been hailed as the most significant breakthrough against the virus in a generation.

A landmark trial in England would be hastened following an interim analysis of the drug Truvada (tenofovir) finding it 'highly protective against HIV'.

The drug Truvada provides 'pre-exposure prophylaxis' (PrEP), which involves giving antiretroviral drugs - usually prescribed to treat HIV - to people who did not have the virus but were at a high risk of exposure to it.

NHS England had now set up a group looking into the viability offering Truvada on the NHS, as it was already known PrEP effectively protected against HIV.

As part of the trial, 407 men taking part in a study in Brighton, London, York, Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield had been asked to take Truvada.

Another 138 men who were on the 'deferred arm' of the trial, originally due to receive the drug in a year's time, would now be offered it immediately.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day.

Although sexual health campaigners are delighted at the news that the trial was being expedited, the arrival of drugs to prevent HIV did not spell the end of Aids.

It had been discovered several years ago that anti-retroviral drugs used to treat people with HIV could also work against people getting infected. The Aids community had welcomed the news that pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP as it was now known, was proven in trials in 2008 to work.

There was a 42-per cent reduction in the numbers of men who had sex with men (MSM) becoming infected with HIV if they were taking the drug Truvada .

Those who took the pill enjoyed 99 per cent protection - a stunning result. The Food and Drug Administration, the US drug licensing body, in 2012, approved the pill for this use.

It was great news that the first stage of the UK trial, which was funded by the Medical Research Council and supported by Public Health England, had been a huge success.

In the event the final results were good, public-health experts hope the drug could be made available on the NHS to those at high risk, although negotiations would have to take place with manufacturer Gilead to find a price the health service could afford.

However, the Truvada website warns of serious side effects that include:

Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency.

Serious liver problems amnd kidney problems including kidney failure, bone pains,changes in body fat and immune system

Overweight women may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems, which could lead to death

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection

Moreover, users should be HIV-negative before they start taking the drug to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 and must stay

HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1

Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected