Health authorities in England said on Friday that they support a plan to double to 26,000 the number of participants in an HIV prevention pill trial, ahead of a potential national roll-out.

Demand for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - a once-daily pill that is highly protective against HIV - has exceeded expectations, said National Health Service (NHS) England, which launched a three-year trial of the drug in 2017.

"The trial researchers have submitted a case for increasing trial places," said John Stewart, director of specialised commissioning at NHS England.

"NHS England will play its part in delivering on this recommendation by committing to fund additional places."

Studies show that PrEP, also known by its drug brand name Truvada, can cut by 99 percent the transmission rate of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Read more via Openly