The 'Informed Matter' of Gay and Bisexual Men's (Potential) Use of HIV Antiretrovirals to Prevent Covid-19

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3006252
AutoresDaniel Storer (0000-0001-8465-7664, School of Population Health UNSW Sydney Sydney Australia, autor correspondente), Dean Murphy (0000-0003-2752-7091, School of Population Health UNSW Sydney Sydney Australia), Niamh Stephenson (0000-0001-8105-1931, School of Population Health UNSW Sydney Sydney Australia), Garrett Prestage (0000-0003-3917-8992, Kirby Institute UNSW Sydney Sydney Australia), Mohamed A Hammoud (0000-0002-7952-7969, Kirby Institute UNSW Sydney Sydney Australia)
Ano2025
Volume47
Fascículo7
Páginase70078-e70078
Data de publicação2025-09-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-9566.70078
PMID40847916
OpenAlexW4413448752
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas48

In 2020, there were reports that HIV antiretrovirals, specifically the combination tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (TDF/FTC), had therapeutic potential for COVID-19. In the context of scant empirical evidence at the time to confirm such an effect, we sought to understand the ways that gay and bisexual men (GBM) made sense of-and embodied-information about HIV antiretrovirals in relation to preventing and/or treating COVID-19. We conducted interviews with 26 participants between August and November 2020. To understand how information about, and experiences of, consuming antiretrovirals might form part of assemblages of COVID-19 prevention for GBM in Australia, we draw on Marsha Rosengarten's (2009) concept of 'informed matter'. 'Informed matter' conceptualises the subject (of disease prevention) as involved in a co-constitutive relationship with the contextual dynamics in which it is situated. Participants drew on their understandings of virology, immunology and pharmaceuticals and experiences with antiretrovirals to form perceptions about their function as therapeutics for COVID-19. By looking beyond biotechnologies as causal of behaviour, we can avoid unintended moralism in contexts of potentially different use. We argue that using 'informed matter' is useful to interrogate, often neglected, complex changes in sex-associated biotechnologies in complicated informational contexts, such as a global pandemic

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Virology