AHF denounces FDA’s approval HIV Drug Truvada

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) released a public statement titled “Gilead’s Phony Consensus on PrEP” to voice its disapproval of the potentially dangerous HIV prevention drug Truvada, on Aug. 9.

According to the statement, pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences’ Truvada was approved by the FDA for use as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent transmission of HIV based on falsified information. AHF’s stance is that there are numerous public safety and health risks. The non-profit has supporters from several other public health experts, including: The Lancet; American Public Health Association; British HIV Association and British Association for Sexual Health and several members of the FDA Antiviral Drug Advisory Committee.

“Gilead Sciences and the FDA have created a phony consensus on PrEP. They want the public to believe that the health community stands behind its reckless decision to rush this drug to market,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF’s President. “The public health community has stated its opposition loud and clear: PrEP is an unacceptable health and safety risk.”

Experts believe that the availability of drug could potentially decrease the practice of safer sex by lulling sexually active people into a false sense of security.

Alain Lafeuillade, Chief of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Toulon General Hospital (France) and Chairman of the International Symposium on HIV & Emerging Infectious Diseases, said that the FDA’s approval of Truvada “is irresponsible and against Global Public Health Interests.”

Lafeuillade also said that the vote by which the decision for approval was made “can only be explained by the lack of independence of the agency from financial and other powers because this is an absurd way to face the HIV pandemic.”

Effie Magazine is making attempts to contact representatives of Gilead Sciences.

Updates will follow as the story develops.

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