International trials on HIV prevention gel begin

South African and US volunteers enrolled this week in trials to determine the safety and efficacy of two candidate microbicides for preventing HIV in women. This is the first trial of this magnitude to be conducted by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), solely for the benefit of women. NIAID director Dr Anthony Fauci said in a statement, "If effective, microbicides would be a valuable woman-controlled means of slowing the pace of the HIV/AIDS epidemic." Fauci also noted that a successful microbicide was vital, as the majority of new female HIV cases resulted from heterosexual intercourse, and most women were not able to negotiate the use of condoms.