An investigational vaginal gel intended to prevent HIV infection in women has demonstrated encouraging signs of success in a clinical trial conducted in Africa and the United States. Findings of the recently concluded study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, were presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal.
The study investigators found the microbicide gel -- known as PRO 2000 (Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lexington, Mass.) -- to be safe and approximately 30 percent effective (33 percent effectiveness would have been considered statistically significant). This is the first human clinical study to suggest that a microbicide -- a gel, foam or cream intended to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections when applied topically inside the vagina or rectum -- may prevent male-to-female sexual transmission of HIV infection.
For more information visits: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/HPTN_035_gel.htm
