‘Once it comes off patent you will get a much larger use of it.’

taking Truvada as PrEP at the end of the second quarter, compared with 60 000 to 70 000 a year earlier. That’s still a fraction of the 1.2 million American adults at significant risk of becoming HIV-positive who, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say, are candidates for the regimen.

Preventive treatment now accounts for about half of the pill’s US sales, Kevin Young, Gilead’s chief operating officer, said last month. The 13-year-old medication’s sales reached $3.57 billion in 2016, accounting for almost 12% of revenue for the Foster City, California-based company.

Gilead doesn’t expect competition from generic versions of Truvada in the US until 2021, chief executive John Milligan said last month. Patent protection means it costs about $17 260 per person a year in the US. That compares with about $67 per person for a generic version in India.

“Once it comes off patent, you are going to wind up getting a much larger use of it,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Based on a New York City health department (NYCHD) survey, about 30% of men aged 18 to 40 who have sex with men are on PrEP. Its benefits outweigh any risks, said NYCHD deputy commissioner for disease control Demetre Daskalakis, who encouraged citizens to find a new doctor if they can’t talk openly about their sex lives. New HIV infections among gay and bisexual men in New York fell 10% in 2015. – Bloomberg IT IS said the best and most important relationship you can ever have is with yourself.

But the journey to self-awareness and self actualisation has taken a back seat in this modern society, as the rat race of careers and mounting societal pressures consume us daily.

Taking a break to reconnect with yourself or with your family has become a luxury many can ill afford, but desperately need.

However, a growing number of people, often depleted by the all-consuming stresses of life or just in need of a break, are finding welcome respite at spiritual and holistic retreats.

Set in picturesque, serene environments where the idea is to get as off-the-grid as possible,spiritual retreats are gaining in popularity.

“Our retreats have become increasingly popular, especially over the past three years. A great cross-section of people, all races, ages and spiritual beliefs, attend our country spiritual retreats,” said Angela Craig, director of High Hopes of Greyton.

According to the retreat’s offering, their team “gently guide you in the direction of aligning with stillness and vitality”, through individual therapy programmes of varying lengths, combining aromatherapy massage, reflexology, kinesiology, meditation, relaxation counselling, yoga, good nutrition, walking, horse-riding and cycling.

Craig explained: “Depending on the retreat itself and the values and principles it is aligned with, one can experience a more directed programme or a more self-directed retreat. So, at High Hopes, for example, people have come more for programmes created for the individual, based on where they are at, their health and wellness needs, and their own journey.”

A common misconception is that spiritual retreats are all based on religion or belief systems.

However, Craig said: “Nobody and no religion or belief system has copyright on retreats. Retreating and communing with the universe and nature are timeless and available to all. These are both ancient and modern practices.”