SA is second country to approve HIV prevention pill
The KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV says the approval of a drug which helps prevent the sexual transmission of HIV marks a significant milestone in the prevention of infections.
The drug known as Truvada is a combination of two anti-retroviral drugs and essentially prevents HIV from replicating inside cells.
The Medicines Control Council approved the drug, making South Africa the second country after the United States to do so.
The institute's Professor Thumbi Ndung’u has warned the drug reduces the risk of HIV infection by only about 50%.
He says it is for this reason that other prevention methods such as condoms must still be used with it.
"This is for people who are HIV negative, who are likely to be exposed to the virus. So, in other words if people take it before high-risk sexual intercourse, it can prevent or at least lower the risk of HIV acquisition.
"So, people should not engage in high-risk sexual behaviour thinking that they're going to be completely protected because they're using these drugs," he said.
(File photo: Gallo Images)