Microbicide News and Research

RSS

A Microbicide is any substance or process that kills germs (bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can cause infection and disease). Also called germicide.

Starpharma announces VivaGel to be used as a condom coating

Starpharma Holdings Limited today announced that it has signed an agreement with a leading condom company in relation to the use of VivaGel as a condom coating.

17 Jul 2007

U.S. trial of new microbicide for HIV prevention to be tested in young women

Nearly half of all people infected with HIV/AIDS are now women, the majority of whom contracted the disease through sexual intercourse with male partners.

10 Jul 2007

U.S. NIH funded trial of VivaGel in sexually active young women commences

Starpharma Holdings Limited today announced the commencement in the U.S. of a trial to assess the safety and acceptability of SPL7013 Gel (VivaGel) in sexually active young women.

9 Jul 2007

MatTek's EpiVaginal successfully used in microbicide/HIV study

MatTek Corp. today announced that its patented EpiVaginal human cell-derived tissue model was successfully used in pre-clinical research investigating HIV infection and microbicide interaction.

27 Feb 2007

Project Ubuzima to continue trials of microbicide Dapirivine

Project Ubuzima, an international not-for-profit group conducting clinical trials of microbicides, last week "assured the public" it will continue its trial of the microbicide Dapirivine in Rwanda, the New Times/AllAfrica.com reports.

22 Feb 2007

AIDS activists call for gel trials to restart

AIDS activists in South Africa are calling for clinical trials of a microbicide gel designed to help women protect themselves against HIV to be restarted.

8 Feb 2007

Disappointing end to trials of new gel to protect women against AIDS

In what appears to be a disappointing outcome, trials of a new gel designed for women to protect themselves from the AIDS virus were stopped this week when researchers found that women using it became infected at a higher rate than women not using it.

1 Feb 2007

Cellulose sulfate microbicide stopped

A Phase III study of the candidate microbicide cellulose sulfate to prevent HIV transmission in women has been stopped prematurely because of a higher number of HIV infections in the active compared with the placebo group.

31 Jan 2007

Cellegy ends phase III microbicide trial in Nigeria

Cellegy Pharmaceuticals on Monday announced that it has ended phase Phase III clinical trials in Nigeria on its microbicide Savvy, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Loyd, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/29).

30 Aug 2006

Medicines, money and motivated health workers are key to universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention

Dr Anders Nordstrom, Acting Director-General of the World Health Organization told delegates at the XVIth International AIDS Conference that "drastic measures" were required to ensure there are enough health workers available to deliver universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.

20 Aug 2006

Bill Gates says protecting against HIV/AIDS can't be left to men

Microsoft founder Bill Gates says all the money in the world will not conquer HIV/AIDS unless more progress is made in preventing new infections. Gates says women and other high-risk groups must be given the ability to protect themselves.

14 Aug 2006

We need to put the power of HIV prevention in the hands of women

Bill and Melinda Gates has called upon world leaders to "put the power to prevent HIV in the hands of women" by accelerating the search for microbicides and other new HIV prevention tools.

14 Aug 2006

Researchers use yogurt to fight AIDS

Researchers have come up with a novel delivery system for anti-AIDS drugs: milk-curdling bacteria used to make yogurt and cheese.

25 Jan 2006

Drug giants join forces to develop gel for women in fight against AIDS

Giant American drug companies Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb, have signed agreements to develop a treatment called a microbicide, a gel or a cream that women can use to protect themselves from AIDS.

2 Nov 2005

Vaginal gel shown to protect female monkeys against an HIV-like virus

Research with female monkeys at the Tulane National Primate Research Center has for the first time shown that three different anti-viral agents in a vaginal gel protect the animals against an HIV-like virus.

1 Nov 2005

Drug-releasing intravaginal ring could help prevent women from contracting HIV infection

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.

28 Sep 2005

Progress to develop vaginal microbicides

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced an agreement with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to share information and expertise in an effort to develop vaginal microbicides

4 Aug 2005

Gel provides protection from HIV and herpes

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers demonstrated that a gel applied in the vagina provides protection from both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the herpes simplex Virus. The study, presented at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, is the first to show that a gel can retain anti-viral activity within the human vagina.

27 Feb 2005

Australian nanotech Starpharma to develop a second generation microbicide for the prevention of infection by HIV

Melbourne-based nanotechnology company Starpharma will lead a consortium to develop a second generation microbicide for the prevention of infection by HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

30 Sep 2004

Development of plant-derived topical medications to prevent HIV/AIDS and other STD's

Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at ASU have been tapped to lead development of plant-derived topical medications that would prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases.

21 Aug 2004