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Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir) was originally developed as an antiviral drug for managing HIV, but in 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it as a daily prophylactic pill for patient populations at highest risk for HIV, such as gay men with multiple sexual partners. But many have questioned whether the drug was effective enough and also whether the prophylactic treatment might encourage risky behavior and a rise in other sexually transmitted—and highly treatable—infections. ... This week, the private insurance company Kaiser Permanente released the largest population study to date that shows the drug is highly effective for preventing HIV transmission. (Firger, 9/3)

When a new pill to prevent HIV hit the US market in 2012, it sharply divided the health community. Some experts hailed it as a major breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. Others worried it would turn back years of advocacy around condom use and encourage risky sex. ... But some public health researchers and AIDS activists had concerns about how this drug might be used in the real world. They feared that people might take Truvada (the brand name for PrEP) and then abandon condoms altogether — leading to a rise in other types of sexually transmitted infections. Others worried about what might happen if people didn't take the pill every day, as directed. Would it still work? (Belluz, 9/3)