British Government Launches Trial of Gel to Protect Women Against HIV

Working with agencies in five African countries, the British government has launched a 5-year program to find an effective gel to protect women against HIV infection. International Development Secretary Clare Short said an effective microbicide -- in the form of gel or foam -- would empower women to protect themselves from AIDS. "We need to increase the range of products available that would give women the ability to protect themselves from HIV in ways that they can control," Short told an international conference on HIV prevention in central London. "An effective microbicide, which must be affordable in poor countries, would be immensely useful," she said.

Institutions in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Zambia and Britain will collaborate in the $22 million program, sponsored by the British government. Britain's Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit and London's Imperial College will carry out the research. In parallel, the US-based Rockefeller Foundation is pushing for more research into microbicides and greater financial support from the public and private sectors, the government said. If clinical trials of microbicides are successful, they could be sold for a few cents and distributed in countries, particularly in Africa, where condoms are not widely used, Short said. "More than half the infections are in young people, age 15-25, and more than half of those are women, often who couldn't choose to say no to sex," Short added.

The first two microbicides assessed in the program are dextrin sulfate (Emmelle), produced by ML Laboratories PLC, and PRO2000 made by Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dextrin sulfate received approval for clinical trials from the Medicines Control Agency in Britain and PRO2000 received approvals from the FDA in the U.S. Discovering an HIV-killing lotion, typically applied in the vagina before intercourse, is a major goal of AIDS research. Several novel products are in early-stage human testing. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced in January that it would help fund a study on a seaweed-based gel called Carraguard, which experts report might block the virus if used an hour before intercourse.

Back to other CDC news for April 18, 2002

Previous Updates