Nigeria: HIV Prevention Drug Truvada Launches

Efforts at dealing with HIV/AIDS remain in prevention after the Amercian embassy unveiled an HIV prevention drug Truvada.

Truvada is among biomedical prevention strategies against HIV, and is used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis--meaning it is a treatment to be used in healthy people before exposure to the virus.

National Agency for Control AIDS said it is fasttracking access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP) and looking for areas it can collaborate on policy, regulation, delivery and implementation.

To implement PreP, NACA will analyse data and remodel using feasibility studies in four states, said NACA director-general John Idoko.

He added: PrEP access aims at "fostering an exchange of information on the challenges and opportunities of behaviourial and biomedical interventions that could be included in a combination prevention strategy to reduce HIV incidence."

He said using the drug in sero-discordant couples--where one is HIV-positive and the other negative--can cut chances of transmission by as much as 96% in healthy people.

Transmission risk

Using other means to cut HIV transmission is crucial on account of behaviour.

Many infections from low-risk relationships result from high-risk sexual encounters, said Dr Hadiza Khamofu, director of prevention, care and treatment at FHI 360.

More than 60% of new infections occur among persons perceived as practicing "low-risk" sex--including married sexual partners.

But only about 30% of married men who engaged in penetrative sex reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse with a commercial sex worker, according to behaviour indicator surveys.

Risk of transmission also increases during pregnancy, with prevalence estimated at 4.1%

Side effects

Truvada--a single-pill-a-day combination of two anti-HIV medications Emtriva and Viread-- only lowers chances of transmitting the virus, but does not cure the disease.

No known drug prevents HIV transmission and condom use comes with challenges, said Dr Emmanuel Alhassan, NACA's director for resource mobilisation.

The drug has been in use in South Africa, he noted, adding government start processes to deal with the side effects of Truvada.

Among side effects on a drug information site are:

abnormal skin sensations;

back pain;

cough;

darkened skin colour on the palms of hands or soles of feet;

diarrhoea;

dizziness;

gas;

headache;

indigestion;

joint pain;

loss of appetite;

nausea;

sinus drainage;

skin discoloration (small spots or freckles);

strange dreams;

sweating;

tiredness;

trouble sleeping;

vomiting;

weakness;

weight loss

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