In a recent study, researchers have discovered that the drug Truvada, the sole drug approved for prevention of HIV infection, is needed in different levels in men and women to prevent the infection effectively.

Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the study researchers at North Carolina University have found that men could save themselves with just two doses a week, whereas women needs a dose everyday to stay protected.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in 2012 for regular use by people highly vulnerable to infection. The drug even notably decreased the number of fresh infections in areas it was made readily available.

To conduct the study, the researchers tested the level of DNA material located in human cells, which is used by HIV to reproduce. They tested how much quantity of Truvada was required to stop HIV from infecting the cells.

Thereafter, they gave Truvada to 47 healthy women, and collected their samples of vaginal, cervical and rectal tissue for testing the levels of the drug and DNA material present in every woman.

They discovered that less quantity of the drug reached vaginal and cervical tissue as compared to rectal tissue. They used a mathematical model made using data from both experiments, and found that while women are required to take the drug regularly, as suggested by the FDA, there are chances that men don’t need to take Truvada more than two times in seven days.

Furthermore, the researchers said that they won’t suggest people to stop drug consumption every day, though understanding the real amount of Truvada required to benefit people can be helpful in enhancing efforts to stop HIV from spreading.

In a press release, Angela Kashuba, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, said that their data has highlighted the fact that one dose isn’t suitable for all. Kashuba added, “In determining how best to use drugs to protect people from HIV, we need to understand where in their body they are at risk for being infected, along with the concentration of drug that is needed to protect that site from infection”.