FDA Approves First Drug for HIV Prevention. July 16, 2012 -- The FDA has approved use of the HIV drug Truvada to help people at high risk avoid infection with the AIDS virus. Truvada is already approved as part of treatment regimens for people with HIV infection. But this is the first time the FDA has approved any drug for pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP -- that is, for protecting uninfected people against HIV. It is not a prescription to party, says Debra Birnkrant, MD, the FDA's director of antiviral products.