Microbicide shows HIV prevention promise

MONTREAL, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- AIDS researchers meeting in Montreal say anitretroviral drugs given by vaginal gel may be effective at preventing HIV infection.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that two experiments in monkeys showed oral or vaginal treatment of tenofovir, or a combination drug that also contained emtricitabine, was highly effective in blocking HIV infection. A third study, which involved 3,100 women in the United States and Africa, found a microbicide vaginal gel called PRO 2000/5 prevented HIV from invading cells.

The microbicide gel reduced the risk of HIV infection by 30 percent over two years.

The push to find a microbicide that can prevent HIV transmission is considered especially important for places such as sub-Saharan Africa, where it is difficult for women to protect themselves through abstinence or condom use, the newspaper said.