A new study conducted by Kaiser Permanente found that gay men were more likely to stop using condoms during sex once they began taking Truvada (PrEP) and even reported having unprotected sex at an alarming 45 percent increase.

The controversial new FDA approved drug that, when taken regularly, helps prevent HIV infection has been criticized by its opponents for being a "condom replacement" for the gay community, which is at the highest risk for new HIV infections. The study, conducted with 90 participants in San Francisco, basically confirmed that.

"It's utterly predictable," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and longtime opponent of preventative HIV medication. "Why would men take this medication if they intended to use a condom?"

But the study may not be an accurate reflection of the entire gay community, Instinct points out.

Speaking with study conductor Dr. Brad Hare, they point to some crucial facts that have gone underreported. Among them, Dr. Hare says the study doesn't specify which demographic reported decreased condom use (monogamous couples, serodiscordant partners, or even people with multiple partners) or their motives for using condoms less.

Furthermore, the report doesn't state whether there is a direct relationship between decreased condom use and the drug because there is no control group outside the study.

"PrEP is prescribed to prevent HIV infections, and it appears to be working in our population," Dr. Hare told Instinct. Of more than 500 people in San Francisco now taking the drug, so far none have reported new HIV infections.