Study shows therapy effectively prevents HIV

UNMC’s Susan Swindells, M.B.B.S., participated in study detailed in New England Journal of Medicine that showed that HIV infection in the HIV-negative person can be prevented by giving antiretroviral therapy to the HIV-positive person.

The study, which is reported in the Aug. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted in nine countries with 54 percent of the subjects from Africa and 50 percent of the infected partners being men.

Susan Swindells, M.B.B.S.

Dr. Swindells, the Terry K. Watanabe Professor and medical director of the HIV Clinic at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, was one of the authors of the study.

“The study was a resounding success,” Dr. Swindells said. “The antiretroviral therapy was 96 percent effective in preventing HIV infection in the HIV-negative person. This is the most effective HIV prevention strategy we have ever seen.”

When the results were presented at the recent International AIDS Conference, they were greeted with a standing ovation, Dr. Swindells said.

The antiretroviral therapy included various combinations of three drugs widely used in HIV treatment, she said.

The drugs are expensive, Dr. Swindells said, and getting them to everyone in need is very challenging. Patients also need specialized monitoring to make sure the treatment works, and this is not widely available.