For another fight against the life threatening disease AIDS,a microbicide to protect women against infection has failed.
The trial took four years and involved 9,385 women in four African countries.The gel had no effect as,amongst the total,4.1 percent who used it were infected.
PRO 20000,the microbicide,is a polymer of naphthalene sulphonate which is described as"a large sugary molecule with a charge on it"which clinged on the shell of the virus to receptors.But the microbicide had given few hopes as it worked nearly perfectly on cells in lab and in monkeys.
Women from South Africa,Zambia,Uganda and Tanzania were recruited in the trial.Among them some of them from general population,some were from highway truck stops,and some were those infected from their husband.All of them were given condoms and told to try to use them before any sex act,which made such trials take far longer and produce much less robust results.Researches prediction 20 years ago for making a safe,acceptable,effective microbicide has
has proved to be far more difficult.Sometimes prostitutes get men to use condoms but wives or lovers cannot and may also want to become pregnant without being infected.
But now researches are beginning to test gels and rings containing antiretroviral drugs like tenofovir,dapivirine and maraviroc.The advantage of those is that they are very good potent and attack different parts of the virus.
The new gels being tested must be inserted before an sometimes after sex.
Executive director of AVAC,Mitchell Warren called the results disappointing,but said the large trial would pave the way for future ones.
The trial took four years and involved 9,385 women in four African countries.The gel had no effect as,amongst the total,4.1 percent who used it were infected.
PRO 20000,the microbicide,is a polymer of naphthalene sulphonate which is described as"a large sugary molecule with a charge on it"which clinged on the shell of the virus to receptors.But the microbicide had given few hopes as it worked nearly perfectly on cells in lab and in monkeys.
Women from South Africa,Zambia,Uganda and Tanzania were recruited in the trial.Among them some of them from general population,some were from highway truck stops,and some were those infected from their husband.All of them were given condoms and told to try to use them before any sex act,which made such trials take far longer and produce much less robust results.Researches prediction 20 years ago for making a safe,acceptable,effective microbicide has
has proved to be far more difficult.Sometimes prostitutes get men to use condoms but wives or lovers cannot and may also want to become pregnant without being infected.
But now researches are beginning to test gels and rings containing antiretroviral drugs like tenofovir,dapivirine and maraviroc.The advantage of those is that they are very good potent and attack different parts of the virus.
The new gels being tested must be inserted before an sometimes after sex.
Executive director of AVAC,Mitchell Warren called the results disappointing,but said the large trial would pave the way for future ones.
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