New Anti-HIV Gel Shows Promise

[Guest guest]

By Sonal Singh Wadhwa

New Delhi -- Experts said on Monday that they were closer to

developing a vaginal gel that will give control over sexual health

and against HIV/AIDS to women.

The study, released at the international conference on microbicides

currently being held in New Delhi, was welcomed by those working in

the HIV/AIDS field.

Microbicides are products such as gels, creams, suppositories or a

long lasting vaginal ring can be applied vaginally or anally to

prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and especially

HIV/AIDS.

At present, there is no cure or vaccine against HIV/AIDS, and

prevention of sexual transmission of the disease depends largely on

the use of condoms or abstinence.

This kind of vaginal gel will allow women to protect themselves from

HIV and other diseases without having to rely on their partner

decision to wear or not wear a condom.

" There is a need for products besides and in addition to condoms that

will prevent HIV/AIDS, " said Dr. Sharon Hillier, Professor of

Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University

of Pittsburg School of Medicine.

A number of different gels are currently being tested around the

world but none have been proven to be effective to preventing the

transmission of HIV.

" There have been disappointments in the field of microbicides, " Dr.

Hillier said. " But now there are encouraging studies. "

This latest attempt by researchers in the United States and India is

still in the early stages.

Researchers asked 200 sexually-active, HIV-negative women in New York

and Pune, India to apply the Tenofovir gel either daily or before

intercourse for a period of six months. They were also asked to use

condoms in addition to the gel.

Tenofovir, a drug approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, is

marketed by Gilead Sciences under the name Viread, an anti-retroviral

drug which blocks enzymes that are crucial to the viral production in

HIV infected people.

It was found that over 80% of the women in the recently concluded

study actually did use the Tenofovir gel as directed.

In 2004-2005, the Cambodian government had ordered researchers to

stop a clinical trial to test Tenofovir after protests by commercial

sex workers who opposed the trial due to the lack of information of

the side effects and provision of health insurance to treat those

side effects post the completion of the study.

In the current study, researchers found no disruption of liver, blood

or kidney function and found a significant willingness among the

women to follow the treatment guidelines.

Dr. Hillier said that 100% of the women in the clinical trial said

they would serious consider using the gel if it were approved to help

prevent HIV infection.

The UNAIDS estimates that there are 33.2 million people living with

HIV/AIDS across the world, of which 46% are women. In high-risk areas

such as sub-Saharan Africa, over 60% of those infected are women.

According the Indian government and UNAIDS, nearly 2.5 million people

are infected with HIV/AIDS in India and similar to global trends, 40%

of those infected are women. HIV/AIDS is believed to be transmitted

via sexual contact in 85% of the cases in India.

At the same conference, Dr. Salim Karim from the University of

KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa said that if approved, anti-retroviral

gels can be used up to 12 hours prior to sex as a protection

mechanism against HIV/AIDS.

___________________

Sonal Singh Wadhwa

MAITRI

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