Why was emtricitabine/tenofovir selected for this study?
Emtricitabine/tenofovir was selected because it has been shown to be safe and effective with few side effects in studies involving more than 20,000 people worldwide. In studies in macaques, the drug was shown to prevent the transmission of the monkey version of HIV (simian human immunodeficiency virus, or SHIV) without serious side effects. Emtricitabine/tenofovir is taken orally once daily, remains in the bloodstream for many hours, and was well tolerated in safety trials involving people not infected with HIV. Since its approval in August 2004, cumulative patient exposure to emtricitabine/tenofovir is estimated to be 709,162 patient-years of treatment.
