Health officials want small projects set up worldwide to test the best way of using HIV drugs to prevent the disease.
Trials have shown that anti-virus pills can massively reduce the risk of people contracting the infection.
But the World Health Organisation has urged a cautious approach to developing a preventative treatment.
It suggests projects offer treatment to people at high risk of infection.
Guidance suggests that recipients should be proved to be free of infection – to ensure courses of treatment do not lead to drug-resistant viral strains developing.
Patients should also be encouraged to use condoms – and should be monitored to ensure they take the pills daily, it says.
The guidance was unveiled at the International Aids Conference in Washington DC, USA.
A spokesman said: "WHO will evaluate the outcome of these projects, together with the evolving scientific evidence."
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