A new study has found that if dosage of two anti-HIV pills is taken before sex and two after sex, then it could lessen the risk of developing HIV. The findings of the study were published online by the New England Journal of Medicine in conjunction with World AIDS Day.

A medication by Gilead i.e. Truvada is a combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine. It got approval of the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012 to prevent HIV infections.

It has been advised that a person must be given a dosage of the drug daily. But, the new study suggested that this dosage may or may not be necessary, and the drug can be taken as per required.

Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease specialist at Tulane University in New Orleans, told Reuters Health that this is so far the best study that shows a level of protection which is higher from what they have seen before.

Chief author Jean-Michel Molina of Hopital Saint-Louis in Paris told Reuters Health by phone that as-needed treatment was nearly close to full protection. “We could say it offers similar protection to a condom, although a condom protects against other sexually-transmitted diseases as well”.

The study authors told that they used placebo for comparisons, and didn’t made any direct comparison with the protection rates of people who took Turvada on daily basis.

The researchers, in the new study, told the volunteers from France and Canada to take two pills with food approximately between two to 24 hours before sex. Later, they were advised to take another pill 24 hours later and a fourth 24 hours after that.

It was found that 14 of the 201 people taking placebo pills became infected with HIV and there were only two people infected among the 199 in the Truvada group.