LONDON — Giving HIV drugs to HIV-negative gay men could help turn the tide against the epidemic in certain areas, according to a new study. According to a study funded by Public Health England and published this week in the journal The Lancet, the prophylactic use of HIV drugs could prevent a huge number of new HIV infections in high-risk gay men.

Attempts to prevent HIV transmission in the UK have long focused on consistent condom use, but these methods have proven insufficient in reducing HIV transmissions in gay men, according to the study. The drug — known as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) — is specifically designed for people who do not have HIV and works to keep the virus from taking hold if a person is exposed to HIV through sex or intravenous drug use.

Scientists analysed the effects of different HIV prevention methods used in gay men living in the UK between the ages of 15 to 64 — including increasing HIV testing, reducing the number of sexual partners and the use of PrEP. Using a mathematical analysis, researchers then assessed the probability of transmission based on the amount of HIV genetic material in blood samples taken from participants.

“Without PrEP, HIV incidence in men who have sex with men in the UK is unlikely to decrease substantially by the end of this decade,” the study states..

In the UK, HIV transmission in gay men has shown no sign of decreasing in the past decade, and in London alone, one in eight gay men is HIV positive.

PrEP is not yet available on the NHS, but some men are buying the drug privately from clinics in the UK and online.

HIV advocacy groups have hailed the new study as “important” and are calling for PrEP to be made available on the NHS.

“PrEP has been something we have [been] arguing for for a while,” Suzi Price, a spokesperson for the National AIDS Trust, told Mashable.

“It would be an important inclusion into the range of options people use for HIV prevention, condoms being a main element of this, as well as strategies such as partner reduction.”

“We are hopeful with all the evidence of the success of PrEP that the NHS in the UK will start funding it soon as well,” Price continued.

Michael Brady, medical director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, stressed the importance of the new study’s findings.

“This study published in the Lancet is really important as it demonstrates that, in a relatively short space of time, PrEP could have a dramatic impact on reducing HIV transmissions,” he told Mashable.

“PrEP has been shown, both in clinical trials and in real life settings, to be highly effective at preventing HIV transmissions. Despite the proven benefits of condom use and the impact of HIV therapy on reducing transmission, the number of gay men infected with HIV each year has remained relatively stable over the last decade,” he continued.

Brady also warned that the UK is “lagging well behind other countries” in its approach to HIV prevention, and that investment in successful prevention techniques, such as PrEP, is urgently required.

“It is essential that PrEP is made available on the NHS as soon as possible for those most at risk. Every month we delay there are more people being unnecessarily infected with HIV,” he said.

This is not the first time PrEP has been found to be highly effective in preventing HIV transmission in high-risk men.

In February 2015, researchers from University College London and Public Health England found that PrEP reduced HIV transmission by at least 86% in men who have sex with men in England.

And a 32-month study at the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center found that among sexually active gay men who were taking PrEP, no new HIV infections were reported.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.