A team of scientists including CBAM’s Executive Director, Dr. Steven Shoptaw, submitted a letter to the editor of The Lancet, expressing their reservations about the findings of an article published earlier this Summer. On June 15, 2013, The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal, published the results of a study on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV infection in injecting drug users in Bangkok, Thailand. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial which enrolled 2413 participants from 17 drug treatment clinics. The article asserts that daily oral PrEP medication was found to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who inject drugs.[1] The study also states that PrEP can “now be considered for use as part of an HIV prevention package” for this same population.

Dr. Shoptaw and his colleagues support the use of PrEP as an HIV prevent tool and they applauded the focus of this study on injecting drug users. However, they also posed questions about the data analysis for this study and noted concerns regarding the development of medication resistance. To read the full letter, click here.

 

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CBAM is a multidisciplinary center that seeks to advance the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses, especially in communities with health disparities. As part of the UCLA Department of Family Medicine, CBAM works at the intersection of academia and community with a focus on treating addictions and preventing the spread of HIV.

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