説明
Overview
Alafevir EM by Laurus Labs is a generic brand of Descovy, approved by the US FDA for use as PrEP. While both Truvada and Descovy are highly effective in preventing HIV, Descovy has the added benefits of not impairing kidney function or affecting bone density as much as Truvada.
PrEP, which stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a pill you can take to protect yourself from HIV. When used as directed, PrEP has been shown to be highly effective at reducing the risk of contracting HIV – you don’t need to worry about a sexual partner’s HIV status.
How PrEP works
Taking PrEP before being exposed to HIV means there’s enough drug inside you to block HIV if it gets into your body.
The medication used for PrEP is a tablet which contains tenofovir and emtricitabine (drugs commonly used to treat HIV). It is sometimes called Truvada but there are many other brands of PrEP which are made exactly of the same ingredients and work in exactly the same way – these are called generic PrEP and include Tenof EM, Ricovir EM and Tenvir EM.
Who is PrEP for?
PrEP is suitable for you if:
- You are HIV negative, and
- You often find yourself in situations having sex without condoms
Taking PrEP
Clinical trials have shown that there are two effective methods of taking PrEP:
- Taken regularly – one tablet per day
- Taken as needed (also known as ‘on-demand’ or ‘event-based’ dosing) – two tablets two to 24 hours before sex, one tablet 24 hours after sex and a further tablet 48 hours after sex
Find out more about how you can take PrEP here.
PrEP and STIs
PrEP only protects you from HIV.
You still need to take care to protect yourself from other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and hepatitis C.
