A drug-releasing intravaginal ring could help prevent women from contracting HIV infection, researchers from Queen's University Belfast will report today at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester.
The silicone vaginal ring steadily releases aciclovir: a treatment for genital herpes. It is known that women with genital herpes are at increased risk of HIV infection because the genital blisters caused by the infection increase the transmissibility of sexually acquired HIV. "It is widely thought that reducing outbreaks of genital herpes lesions will help to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV," said researcher Dr Karl Malcolm.
The research is part of a long-standing programme, in collaboration with Warner Chilcott Plc, that has a long-term goal to provide alternative strategies for dealing with the escalating HIV epidemic. The present research, partly funded by the International Partnership for Microbicides, involves the development of microbicide-releasing rings for preventing HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections.
Aciclovir, and related drugs, are currently given as tablets or as an intravaginal cream for treating genital herpes. Dr Malcolm says that recent studies have confirmed that controlled drug delivery from a vaginal ring is potentially more effective and more acceptable to women than gel or cream. "Gel and cream are messy to use and must be applied repeatedly. They also have poor retention in the vagina," he says.