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Anti-AIDS vaginal gel promising

    JOHANNESBURG

    With hope of an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine a decade away, the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) says a new class of drugs that can protect women from infection during sex looks promising.

    Presented as vaginal gels, creams or foams, microbicides can offer a new line of defence for women, especially in developing countries where negotiating safe sex is often not an option.

    "Microbicides can be crucial tools as female-controlled options. For women worldwide, being young and married are the most significant risk factors for acquiring HIV," IPM director, Dr Zeda Rosenberg, said in a statement.

    A successful microbicide is at least five years away, but six new drugs will be tested on 20,000 volunteers over the next three years, and two candidate drugs are in full-scale trial.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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