Although a daily pill can prevent HIV infection, very few people actually take it.
About 1.2 million Americans are at high risk for HIV and could benefit from taking the pill, sold under the brand name Truvada, in a strategy that doctors call “pre-exposure prophylaxis,” or PrEP, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Studies in men who have sex with men show that taking PrEP reduces the risk of contracting HIV by 92%. Studies in injection drug users have found that PrEP reduced the risk of infection by more than 70%.
Yet only about 21,000 people – less than 1% of those who could benefit – are taking PrEP, the CDC’s Jonathan Mermin said.
Although the Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada in 2012, one-third of primary care doctors have never heard of PrEP, according to a national survey that has not yet been published.
“We have this sea change in HIV prevention, but it is one of the best-kept secrets in medicine,” said J.D. Davids, managing editor at TheBody.com, an online resource on HIV and AIDS.
Actor Charlie Sheen’s recent HIV disclosure could help spread the word.
In an interview on The Dr. Oz Show last week, Sheen’s former girlfriend, Amanda Bruce, said she took medication to prevent becoming infected with HIV.
Sheen has said that medication reduced his HIV levels to an undetectable level. Although he disclosed that he has not always used condoms, he said that his sexual partners knew about his diagnosis and were under the care of his doctor.