The Globe and the Times reports that drug for HIV lower the risk of infection. The study was led by researchers at Brown University and the Fenway Institute, which is the research arm of Fenway Community Health. Fenway was once a tiny clinic for gay men and women. Now, it’s a huge player with a huge tower near the Longwood Medical area.

From The Globe:

A study conducted in Boston and 10 other sites worldwide found that among men at high risk for contracting the AIDS-causing virus, those randomly assigned to take a daily antiretroviral pill were 44 percent less likely to become infected than those receiving a dummy pill. The infection risk was even more dramatically reduced among men who faithfully took the pills.

AIDS specialists said the discovery gives them a powerful new tool — a drug that is already widely available and can be quickly used to slow a disease that, worldwide, infects 7,000 more people each day.