The clinical trial, known as HPTN 052, was slated to end in 2015 but the findings are being released early as the result of a scheduled interim review of the study data by an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB).

FORBES: Could AIDS Disappear If Enough Patients Get Treated?

The HPTN 052 clinical trial, an international HIV prevention trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), found that if HIV-infected heterosexual individuals begin taking antiretroviral medicines when their immune systems are relatively healthy (as opposed to delaying therapy until the disease has advanced), they are 96 percent less likely to transmit the virus to their uninfected partners.

WHITEHOUSE: AIDS 2012: Listening, Learning and Working Together to Help Turn the Tide | The White House