Microbicide News and Research

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

Novel approach for preventing HIV infection

Scientists at Osel Inc. and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a new way to prevent HIV infection by genetically enhancing the ability of naturally occurring vaginal bacteria to block viral transmission.

19 Jul 2011

Partners of Bacterial Vaginosis sufferers at increased risk of HIV

Starpharma Holdings Limited today commented on results of a study which showed that men were three times more likely to contract HIV from their female partners if the women also had bacterial vaginosis (BV) in the three months before the men became infected.

18 Jul 2011

Pre-exposure prophylaxis reduces risk of HIV infection

In a result that will fundamentally change approaches to HIV prevention in Africa, an international study has demonstrated that individuals at high risk for HIV infection who took a daily tablet containing an HIV medication - either the antiretroviral medication tenofovir or tenofovir in combination with emtricitabine - experienced significantly fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo pill.

14 Jul 2011

Daily pill ‘combo’ prevents HIV transmission: New African study

According two studies in Africa, taking a daily pill containing either one or two anti-HIV drugs can reduce transmission of the virus by as much as three-quarters among heterosexual couples. This is an encouraging finding that could help focus on AIDS prevention. The results were so compelling that the larger study was halted early and the drugs given to all the participants, researchers said Wednesday.

13 Jul 2011

DIA recognizes CAPRISA team for outstanding achievement in HIV prevention

Today the CAPRISA 004 study leadership team is being awarded the inaugural Drug Information Association (DIA) President's Award for Outstanding Achievement in World Health.

21 Jun 2011

New clinical trial to evaluate safety of tenofovir gel in breastfeeding, pregnant women

Determining whether a promising HIV prevention gel is safe for women to use while they are pregnant or breastfeeding is the aim of a new clinical trial being conducted by the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network.

21 Jun 2011

Large trial of tenofovir gel for women set to begin in South Africa

A 24-month clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of tenofovir gel use among women to reduce the risk of HIV infection is set to begin in South Africa in late July or early August, the Mail & Guardian reports.

16 Jun 2011

International coalition launches common platform to end AIDS epidemic

An international coalition of scientists and activists today launched a common platform for ending the AIDS epidemic. Thirty years into the epidemic, as world leaders come together at the United Nations to recommit to a global AIDS response, the broad-based international coalition issued a statement calling for world leaders to support a rational, evidence-based approach to responding to AIDS.

8 Jun 2011

Australians discover treatment for very common female infection

Starpharma Holdings Limited has announced successful results of a major phase 2 clinical study that demonstrated efficacy of VivaGel® for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

22 May 2011

Humanized BLT mice help prevent HIV/AIDS transmission

The more than 2.7 million new HIV infections recorded per year leave little doubt that the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread globally. That's why there's the need for safe, inexpensive and effective drugs to successfully block HIV transmission.

19 May 2011

Novel topically-applied molecular microbicide protects women against HIV infection

Using a technique that silences genes promoting infection, researchers have developed a novel, topically-applied molecular microbicide capable of preventing HIV transmission.

17 May 2011

Nationwide observance raises awareness about HIV/AIDS spread in women

National Women and Girls AIDS Awareness Day, a nationwide observance that raises awareness and promotes action in the fight against HIV/AIDS, took place on March 10.

17 Mar 2011

Scientists at retrovirus conference present findings on microbicide gel, Truvada, male circumcision, ART care by nurses

At the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston on Monday, researchers "suggested the potential" of a gel containing the antiretroviral drug tenofovir to reduce the risk of anal HIV transmission, TIME's "Healthland" blog reports.

2 Mar 2011

Tenofovir gel more effective than oral tablet for HIV treatment: Study

In the first study to make head-to-head comparisons between tenofovir gel and oral tenofovir - two promising approaches for preventing HIV in women - researchers found that daily use of the vaginal gel achieved a more than 100-times higher concentration of active drug in vaginal tissue than did the oral tablet, while, compared to the gel, the tablet used daily was associated with a 20-times higher active drug concentration in blood.

1 Mar 2011

Anti-AIDS gel shows promise

Dr. Ian McGowan, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh who is leading a second-phase study of the gel said, “These are early results, but [they] help set the stage for current and future trials of rectal microbicides and the development of a rectal-specific formulation of tenofovir gel.” Researchers have focused on the use of microbicides such as tenofovir, as a preventive treatment to be used in vaginal sex. However, scientists think unprotected anal sex is much more risky.

1 Mar 2011

Tenofovir gel may help reduce risk of HIV from anal sex

A gel developed to protect against HIV during vaginal sex produced a strong antiviral effect when used in the rectum, according to an early-phase study presented today at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). The results, based on rectal tissue biopsies sampled from HIV-negative men and women who used the product daily for one week, provide the first-ever evidence that tenofovir gel could help reduce the risk of HIV from anal sex, even though the vaginal gel formulation may not be optimal for rectal use.

28 Feb 2011

Research findings reveal HIV's hiding spot, new way to stop the virus

HIV adapts in a surprising way to survive and thrive in its hiding spot within the human immune system, scientists have learned. While the finding helps explain why HIV remains such a formidable foe after three decades of research - more than 30 million people worldwide are infected with HIV - it also offers scientists a new, unexpected way to try to stop the virus.

24 Jan 2011

U.S., South Africa sign PEPFAR partnership agreement

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane on Tuesday signed a "partnership agreement that will guide efforts on fighting HIV/AIDS in the African nation," Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports (Wessels, 12/15).

17 Dec 2010

USAID Administrator Shah issues statement on occasion of World AIDS Day

Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), released the following statement on the occasion of World AIDS Day.

2 Dec 2010

Goosby, Emanuel address progress, potential roadblocks ahead for introduction of microbicides in developing countries

The growing evidence supporting the promise of new HIV prevention products, like microbicides, requires that groups start planning now for how best to roll-out prevention interventions in the future, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby and Special Advisor on Health Policy to the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Ezekiel Emanuel said Monday during a USAID Microbicide Stakeholders Meeting in Washington.

30 Nov 2010