A newly approved drug for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is unlikely to confer any discernible health benefit over generic alternatives and may undermine efforts to expand access to HIV prevention for the nation's most vulnerable populations, according to a new study appearing today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study, led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Yale School of Public Health, is also being released today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, where top researchers from around the world will be discussing the ongoing battle against HIV/AIDS and related infectious diseases. The Harvard University Center for AIDS Research and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors were also collaborators on the research.

PrEP, a pill taken once a day, reduces the risk of HIV infection via sex or injection drug use by up to 99 percent. Since 2012, there has been one FDA-approved PrEP formulation: the combination of tenofovir/emtricitabine (F/TDF), marketed by Gilead Sciences and sold under the brand name Truvada. Patent protection for F/TDF is due to expire and the first generic version is expected in September 2020. Read more via Medical Xpress