Illinois: Project PrEPare, AIDS Foundation of Chicago Hold HIV Drug Forum

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and Project PrEPare recently hosted a community forum to discuss next steps after a study showed an HIV drug could prevent infection in healthy gay men.

AFC Director of Advocacy Jim Pickett and Keith Green, director for Project PrEPare, a Chicago-based component of the international iPrEx study, moderated the discussion of potential risks and benefits of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The study of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons who have sex with men found those who received daily emtricitabine plus tenofovir (Truvada) -- and also condoms, counseling, and other prevention services -- saw their infection risk cut by 43.8 percent. Participants with even better drug adherence realized more protection, up to 72.8 percent.

Dr. Sybil Hosek, a principal investigator for Project PrEPare, noted iPrEx is the first study of its kind. "The folks at iPrEx recognize that there is still a lot that needs to be understood," she said.

iPrEx recently began an open-label extension of the study, which allows participants who were on a placebo during the trial to take Truvada, said Hosek.

Project PrEPare's study is less focused on the efficacy of Truvada and more about the acceptability and feasibility of a PrEP trial among a potentially high risk, young MSM demographic, Hosek said.

Panelists, who included Dr. Lisa Henry-Reid and Dr. Margo Bell of Project PrEPare, addressed attendees' questions about various aspects of the prophylactic use of the medication.

For more information about Project PrEPare, visit www.projectpreparechicago.com. For more information about the iPrEx study, visit www.globaliprex.net/english.html.

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