Good News for Charlie Sheen: HIV-suppressing drugs prevent sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS

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HIV-suppressing medication can make the AIDS virus "untransmittable" even among couples who have sex without using condoms, new research shows.

The Europe-wide study monitored nearly 1,000 gay male couples over a period of eight years, where one partner was HIV-positive and receiving antiretroviral (ART) treatment, while the other was HIV-negative.

Doctors did not find a single case of in-couple HIV transmission within that time, raising hopes that widespread ART programmes could eventually end new infections.

"Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART is zero," said Alison Rodger from the University College London, one of the authors of the research published in the Lancet.

"They support the message ... that an undetectable viral load makes HIV untransmittable. This powerful message can help end the HIV pandemic by preventing HIV transmission, and tackling the stigma and discrimination that many people with HIV face."

Researchers estimate that ART prevented around 470 HIV transmissions within couples during the study period.

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