World AIDS Day: Let’s Talk About PrEP, Baby!

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The news has been flying around the gay blogs like crazy, so perhaps you’ve already heard? This year, for World AIDS Day, Manhunt has partnered with Gladstone InstitutesDr. Robert Grant and The Fenway Institute in a collaborative effort to promote awareness about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

Pre-Exposure Prophyl-whaaaa?

Yeah, responses of that nature are exactly why this campaign exists… PrEP, for those who aren’t in the know, is an HIV prevention option currently available in the United States. If you saw news items within the past year about the U.S. FDA approving an HIV Prevention Pill—otherwise known as Truvada—then you already know a little bit about PrEP.

Option is the key word in the paragraph above. Manhunt hasn’t taken any advertising dollars from Truvada, and we’re certainly not telling you to stop using condoms if you already do. But we are eager to help the Gladstone and Fenway Institutes open up the conversation about PrEP and give our members access to the facts and research you need to consider whether it may (or may not) be an option for you. Here’s a short list of those resources to get you started:

• CDC’s Fact Sheet – PrEP: A New Tool for HIV Prevention
• Project Inform’s Fact Sheet – Is Taking PrEP The Right Choice for You?
• Read Positive Frontiers’ excellent series “My Life On PrEP

Additional studies and resources can be found at Manhunt Cares. At the very least, I highly recommend reading the materials on this topic, because the developments and research are quite fascinating.

– Dewitt

Click through to watch the Huffington Post Live’s video about PrEP:

284 thoughts on “World AIDS Day: Let’s Talk About PrEP, Baby!

  1. Good stuff to know about. On the subject, I thought the HIV home testing kits where you get your results in like 20 mins were suppose to be available in drug stores.

    Is this the case? As I have not read or seen anything about it.

    Thanks!

  2. and with a cancer and kidney stones from this Truvada pill – if that is the one – I’d seriously ask everyone to look at the fact we have no testing available to measure tolerance or intolerance to toxic levels that may be extremely high in some people.
    I’m an example and would be free to talk about it. It’s a great idea, some folk are doinig great things on it – and it’s wonderful to hear. I’m not bitter. I’m just struggling with live and survival issues due to the drug called the prevention pill.

  3. i am upset that i had never heard of this drug until i read this article. i would think that the gay community would be all over this. i wonder why it isn’t?

  4. Beside being only recently approved, it’s over $1000 a month and has your typical side effects of HIV meds, like odd fat deposits, bone loss, nausea, diarrhea, and lots of other stuff. It also needs to be taken regularly…as if you had HIV. You don’t just pop a pill and then fuck as if you’re in a Treasure Island video.

  5. Toxic and expensive HIV meds that must be religiously taken daily? Possible severe side effects (e.g., liver damage) that these meds can have? Quarterly doctor visits and routine bloodwork to measure the potentially adverse effects of the meds? This sounds a lot like what those who are already HIV-positive must necessarily endure–the major difference being that, with PReP, you could still end up turning HIV-positive anyway.

    Despite those noteworthy drawbacks, any pragmatic measure, including PReP, that has at least the potential to reduce new HIV transmissions among those who refuse to use condoms is better than nothing at all and worthy of consideration. That said, I think it’s very irresponsible of Manhunt to present this as an option when condoms–which will remain the frontline of defense against HIV–are merely “in the way.”

    You’ll find some of the Internet coverage to which Dewitt referred at the link below. Be sure to read through all the comments, including the one posted by “Manhunt” himself. In so doing, you might even learn some interesting political history:

    http://www.towleroad.com/2012/11/manhunttruvada.html

  6. Truvada, at BEST, can reduce transmission by 90%. This doesn’t seem like much (have sex with an HIV positive guy 10 times and you will probably get infected). However, studies on condoms only show a reduction in transmission of 80%. The reason for this is because some people who use condoms don’t always use them correctly, similar to how some people took this drug but didn’t always take it correctly. So the conclusion from this is that if you are going to be looking at a preventive measure that is most effective given peoples interaction and misuse of the prevention measure, then Truvada is the way to go.

  7. Sorry, I misread, those who didn’t take Truvada correctly were only 40% protected, so Condoms all the way!

  8. What scares me the most is just how many gay men are truly naive/clueless about what it means to be hiv+, what the regimen means, and most importantly what achieving “undetectable” viral load status means.

    Perhaps instead of “MegaCock of the Week” posts, you actually educate??

    I’m undetectable on Truvada/Kaletra and healthy as a horse. I do NOT have to see my doctor four times a year, labs twice a year only and an annual check up…the last one with him telling me that he wished HE were as healthy as I am. Nice to be in the minority of “dirty” and HEALTHY.

    I gave up my Manhunt account over the ongoing stigma it supports….namely giving those of us with a moral compass and disclose our hiv status to also include hiv+/undetectable as either sites do. I was told it was “too expensive” to reprogram the site. Complete BS.

    One man’s opinion and the position certainly contradicts “ManhuntCares”.

  9. Here in the UK we have something called PEP..Post Exposure Prophylaxis (or PEP) is the only thing that can stop a person becoming infected after HIV has entered their body.its free in the Uk to anyone who needs it… We put peoples health first unlike the companies in the USA who charge for eveything ,,,,, SO WRONG

  10. Truvada has been approved for years…it is only the PEP/PreP that has recently been endorsed. Regarding your statement about fat redistribution and bone loss – not correct. That is a SOMETIME side effect of Kaletra or the Protease Inhibitor class of meds. Before you scare everyone with what you’ve read and NOT experienced, many people on their regimen do not have any of the side effects you list. As my physician told me, plan to die of old age, not hiv nor AIDS.

    My advice to all that are reading this is simple – GET TESTED and know your status. It’s that easy.

  11. IIRC, the actual transmission rate for unprotected anal sex with an HIV-positive partner is roughly 1:200 for a negative receptive partner, and 1:1,540 for a negative penetrative partner. These sounds like big numbers, but they’re really shitty odds, which is why people who don’t want to contract or transmit HIV should use condoms.

    When you consider that condoms demonstrate 80% effectiveness, you’re looking at 1:1,000 odds for a negative receptive partner, and 1:7,700 for a negative penetrative partner. Considerably better, but still risky enough that it can best be described as “safer sex.”

    As a physical barrier, condoms’ transmission rate reduction would be applied separately from the Truvada, which would yield (best possible scenario) a 1:10,000 per-incidence likelihood of a receptive partner’s acquisition of the virus, and a 1:77,000(!) likelihood of the penetrative partner acquiring the virus. Which are pretty good odds, all things considered. Lacking immediate data on PEP effectiveness, I would say that Truvada + Condoms = “Safest Sex, especially for a top.”

    Mind you, this transmission data is from the CDC circa 2002.

    As to the side-effects, I would personally wait to see long-term toxicity studies before advocating widespread use, but this medication provides an excellent adjunct to current methods of risk reduction for those involved in active relationships with HIV-positive men and women.

  12. The Truvada data says that transmission is reduced by 90% if the medication is correctly used. It would be interesting to know what that figure is for condoms, as the 80% figure is including people who use them incorrectly. I imagine the condom reduction would be ridiculously high, like 99.997% or something.

  13. The Truvada data says that transmission is reduced by 90% if the medication is correctly used. It would be interesting to know what that figure is for condoms, as the 80% figure is including people who use them incorrectly. I imagine the condom reduction would be ridiculously high, like 99.997% or something.

  14. recent PreP user (HV-) my longtime partner who converted to HIV+ and now on Atripla is undetectable we have unprotected sex ( both versitle ) I have had NO side effects on Truvada
    and have had lab work done to concluding no liver damage or other negative effects…

  15. Problem with that is there is this fear that people who convert will kill themselves , because of the heavy stigmatization of HIV , and media hype ( for last 30 years ). So Counselling first , HIV is not the death sentence it used to be .

  16. so lets see.. You would rather get HIV , than kidney stones ? DUDE.. The side effects for Truvada are NOT GETTING HIV ..

    Yes , the drug is hard on your system. 10 % of people have what they call start up issues for about 2 to 3 weeks and those disappear as your body adjusts . Mild gastro ,Slight light headiness . As everyone’s bodies are different and react differently ,PREP is a Program that is designed to get you to go and get tested for all STDS’s ,and check your kidney functions and have counseling , and THEN get a prescription for the drug . Repeat this every three months..

  17. Yea , I say If your fucking get on fucking prep.. the stuff works.. and if you are fucking like you are in a treasure island video , get on fucking prep , and make another video..AND still be Negative…

  18. actually .. Prep is now proven to be 100 % effective.. BUT in the medical fields they don’t like that figure. 96 % effective for stopping hiv… do you know what Condoms are ? 93 % effective for stopping HIV.. So combine the two , and you can swim hiv fluids. One pill a day .. ( get a little pill box ) , Every three months get a check up.. If your fucking , get on fucking prep..

  19. I so dont date Negative people anymore.. Guys on Meds rock…. Undetectable s at least take care of themselves .. They have control of their sexual health …

  20. I wont tell you my sexual statistics ( Treasure island media will be sending a crew around to my place ). I have finally taken control of my sex life , I am negative on prep – 9 months now.. and would have converted if it wasnt for Prep. Thank you for protecting those around you from you. I just wish the other gay folks would see the light .. if your fucking get on fucking prep

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