美国考虑使用特鲁维达预防艾滋病

    This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。
     
    Studies show that a drug called Truvada can prevent HIV infections. The pill is taken once a day. Studies showed it was ninety percent effective when people took it every day. It was only half as effective when people did not take it every day. 
    研究表明,一种名为特鲁瓦达(Truvada)的药物可以预防艾滋病毒感染。如果人们每天服用该药物,其有效率为90%。如果未能坚持每天服用,其有效率会减半。
     
    Currently, in the United States, the drug is only approved for use as a treatment for people already infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Now a government advisory committee says Truvada should become the first drug approved for use to prevent HIV.
    目前该药物在美国只被批准用于艾滋病毒感染者的治疗,该病毒会引发艾滋病。一家政府顾问委员会目前表示,特鲁瓦达应该成为第一种被批准用于预防艾滋病毒的药物。
     
    The Food and Drug Administration is not required to follow the advice of its Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, but usually does. The FDA is expected to decide by June fifteenth.
    美国食品与药物管理局(以下简称FDA)无需听从抗病毒药物顾问委员会的意见,但通常他们都会遵照行事。预计FDA将在6月15日做出决定。
     
    Mitchell Warren, head of the HIV prevention group AVAC, explains that Truvada is a combination pill.
    艾滋病预防组织AVAC(艾滋病疫苗倡导联盟)负责人米切尔·沃伦解释说,特鲁瓦达是一种复合型药片。
     
    MITCHELL WARREN: "It's made up of two different antiretrovirals -- tenofovir and emtricitabine. And those two drugs had already been approved by the FDA a number of years ago individually, and then about eight years ago they were approved as the combination drug. But all of those approvals related to the use of the drug for treating people who are already infected with HIV."
    沃伦:“它是由两种不同的抗逆转录病毒药物--替诺福韦和恩曲他滨复合而成。这两种药物已经在数年前分别获得FDA批准。然后大约8年前,它们作为一种复合型药物获得批准。但所有批准均只适用于艾滋病毒感染者的治疗。”
     
    The advisory committee held a twelve-hour hearing on May tenth to consider the evidence. The committee urged the FDA to approve the drug for use by those who are considered at high risk for getting infected. The committee held two separate votes on recommending Truvada. One vote dealt with gay and bisexual men. The other dealt with heterosexual couples where one person has HIV.
    5月10日,该顾问委员会举行了一场为期12小时的听证会对有关证据进行审核。该委员会督促FDA批准该药物用于艾滋病高危人群的预防,并对是否推荐使用特鲁维达的两种情况分别进行了投票。其中一次投票涉及同性恋和双性恋男子,另一次投票涉及一方携带艾滋病毒的异性恋夫妇。
     
    Mr. Warren says Truvada offers hope for a new way to fight HIV.
    沃伦先生说,特鲁维达提供了一种防治艾滋病毒的新前景。

    MITCHELL WARREN: "If you are at risk of HIV, if you perceive yourself to be at risk, if you're able to take this pill every day as part of a combination of activities, including getting frequent HIV testing, you can reduce your risk of infection quite substantially."
    沃伦:“如果你处于艾滋病毒感染风险中,或意识到自己面临风险,如果你能每天服用这种药片作为联合预防措施的一部分,包括频繁进行艾滋病毒检测,你就可以降低大幅降低感染风险。”
     
    The manufacturer of Truvada, Gilead, would have to produce what is known as a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy. This would be a plan to help ensure the safe and effective use of Truvada. The plan would include extensive training for health care providers.
    生产特鲁维达的吉利德科学公司(Gilead)必须拿出风险评估和规避策略,它将是一个有有助于确保特鲁维达使用安全性和有效性的方案。该方案将包括为卫生保健工作人员提供扩展培训。
     
    Some doctors say Truvada is a step toward ending the threat from AIDS. But some critics say the drug could give people a false sense of security and make them less likely to use condoms. Critics say it could also take financial resources away from more cost-effective methods of prevention, like using condoms.
    一些医生说,特鲁维达朝着结束艾滋病威胁迈出了一步。但一些批评者认为,该药物会给人一种虚假的安全感,并使得他们更不愿意使用安全套。批评者说,它还会将财政资源从更具成本效益的预防方式上夺走,例如使用安全套。
     
    Truvada currently sells for about fourteen thousand dollars a year. The drug would cost much less in developing countries, possibly several hundred dollars a year. But that could still be too high for some countries.
    特鲁维达当前售价大约是每年14000美元。该药物在发展中国家售价更低,可能是每年数百美元,但对一些国家来说,这一价格可能还是太高。

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