Taking a pill to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is considered as safe as taking aspirin daily, a new study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases suggests.
The study involved the drug emtricitabine-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, commonly known as Truvada, which is part of a drug regimen called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) used to lower the risk of the spread of HIV infection. The research was conducted by a team of scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, according to UPI.
The researchers wanted to study the safety profile of Truvada and compare it to aspirin's by analyzing previous large studies. To arrive at their findings, the researchers looked into PrEP studies involving over 15,000 participants and aspirin safety studies involving more than 61,000 patients.
Jeffrey Klausner, lead author of the study, used the "number needed to harm" or "NNH" as measurement of the results. This refers to the number of individuals who use the drug before one person feels an unpleasant side effect, Buzzfeed News reported.
For the group that's taking PrEP, one out of 114 men who engage in sex with men and transgender women may feel nauseous and one out of 96 have higher risk of weight loss. For women, one in 56 experience nausea; one out of 41 may vomit; and one in 36 was found to have a mild increase in their liver enzymes.
On the other hand, the aspirin group had an NNH of 909 for major bleeding problems, "123 for any gastrointestinal bleeding, and 15 for any bleeding problems in men. In women, the NNH for easy bruising was 10."
Although each drug produces significantly different side effects, Klausner made the team's conclusion clear. "It really looked like I could say Truvada compared favorably, in terms of its safety profile, to aspirin," he told Buzzfeed News.
Researchers admit that more long-term studies are needed, but they also shared that doctors should "feel reassured about the safety of short- and medium-term PrEP for HIV."
