HIV drugs to be used in prevention

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‘Disheartened by the failures of vaccines and microbicides in blocking HIV transmission, some AIDS researchers are now touting a third possibility: using existing HIV drugs prophylactically,’ reports The Time’s Thomas H. Maugh II.

‘By next year, as many as 15,000 people worldwide will be enrolled in trials to test the concept -- more than are enrolled in all vaccine and microbicide trials combined -- according to a report issued Aug. 3 at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. There are seven trials underway or planned.’

‘ ‘We need to look for new ways that people can protect themselves,’ ‘ said Dr. Lynn Paxton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who is coordinating the agency’s trials. ‘Clearly, this is one of the most promising things we have in the pipeline right now.’ ‘

More than 25,000 delegates have descended on Mexico City this week to attend the conference.

Read on about how some AIDS researchers want to use existing HIV drugs for prevention.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City