VOA标准英语2012--New Studies on HIV Treatment as Prevention

New Studies on HIV Treatment as Prevention

 

Recent studies have shown that antiretroviral drugs can be used not only to treat HIV, but also to prevent infection in the first place. It’s called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP for short. Now, the western U.S. state of California is launching new studies to determine PrEP’s effectiveness beyond clinical trials and out in the real world.

Treatment as prevention has been shown to be highly successful in clinical trials. But will it work for people in high risk groups as they go about their daily lives? Will they adhere to the drug regimen even if it’s taking only one pill a day?

These are some of the questions the California HIV/AIDS Research Program hopes to answer with three new studies. Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS advocacy group AVAC, said these are “demonstration¹ studies.”

“These are not randomized controlled trials where we’re telling people you may get placebo², you may get the active drug. And even if you get the active drug we don’t know if it works. These are studies that are going to work with people in communities in California. People who are at risk. [They] are going to be explained that we think this product works based on these clinical trials, but only if you use [it]. And provide it to a small number of people to really better understand the safety and effectiveness in areas outside of clinical trials,” he said.

MSM & transgenders

The studies focus on groups where HIV infections are rising rapidly.

Warren said, “All of these activities in California are focused on men who have sex with men and transgender women. And that is entirely³ understandable and appropriate given the epidemic⁴ in the United States. That is the leading area of need. At the same time we really hope as advocates that these demonstration projects in California are the first of many and that many more will look at other populations.”

Those taking part in the study are being asked to follow what would appear to be a very simple drug regimen.

“It is a daily dose and it is a combined drug. It’s a single pill, but with both active tenofovir and emtricitabine. And it is the same dose that is provided to people who are infected with HIV, who use the same pill for treatment. So the recommendation that was studied in the trial was the same single pill every day,” he said

Daily dose

However, Warren said pre-exposure prophylaxis is only effective if people take the pill. So the studies will also examine why people may skip doses, even if they only have to swallow one pill a day.

“People who took this pill consistently had high levels, an excess of 70 percent reduction of risk. People who didn’t take the pill consistently didn’t get any benefit at all. There was no added protection,” he said.

When antitrovirals first came on the scene in the early and mid-1990s, people had to take dozens of pills a day. They had to take them at very specific times, sometimes with food, sometimes without. They often had very bad side effects, including nausea⁵. There were even conditions called “buffalo hump” and “Crix belly,” where body fat would build up behind the neck or on the abdomen⁶. So, while lives were being saved, treatment could make people feel pretty sick.

Warren said it’s much different today.

“We also have to remember the incredible scientific advances – from the 80s when getting HIV inevitably⁷ meant a very short life and a very painful disease in death – to a period of early antiretroviral therapy where we had drugs that were very difficult to take and very toxic⁸, but they could save your life if you could withstand that – to a point now where people can take one or two pills a day. Much safer, much less toxic. We’re in a very different place,” he said.

In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will review the PrEP research. It could lead to greater access to prevention as treatment and provide accurate information to healthcare providers, insurance companies and potential users.

1 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

2 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

3 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。

6 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

7 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

8 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。