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For an anti-HIV pill

MILWAUKEE: The first test of a daily pill to prevent HIV infection gave a tantalising hint of success, but a real answer must await a larger study due out next year.

The experiment, done in Africa, mainly showed that the drug Viread is safe when used for prevention. Fewer people given the drug caught the AIDS virus than those given dummy pills, but so few in either group became infected that valid comparisons cannot be made, scientists said.

Still, "it's incredibly encouraging," said Dr. Helene Gayle, co-chair of the International AIDS Conference in Toronto, where the results were released on Saturday.

If future studies show effectiveness, the drug "would be an incredibly important new prevention tool that we should make available as soon as possible," she said.

A vaccine is considered the best hope for stopping the spread of AIDS, but scientists have not been able to make one that prevents infection. — AP

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