Tenofovir gel study against the spread of AIDS?

Chemical condom against AIDS?

Researchers will present a gel during the World AIDS Conference to minimize the risk of infection from AIDS.

(20.07.2010) For the first time, a gel against the spread of the immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS has proven to be effective. For more than 20 years researchers have been working to develop an effective gel against the transmission of HIV.

Specialists already speak of a "chemical condom", which is introduced before intercourse in the vagina of the woman. The gel should minimize the transmission risk of AIDS. Researchers at the South African AIDS Research Center "CAPRISA" had already successfully tested the drug in one study. The study has shown that HIV transmission risk in women is minimized by around 40 percent. It is clear that conventional condoms are by no means superfluous with this newly developed gel. The vaginal gel contains eleven percent of the AIDS drug "tenofovir". Tenofovir is also used as a medicine in the treatment of HIV patients in tablet form.

About 900 women participated in the study. The study was published in the US medical journal Science and will be presented today at the World AIDS Conference in Vienna. The scientists point out that for the first time in 20 years research has achieved a breakthrough in this field. Because none of the 11 studies in recent years with six different microbicide substances has so far been able to achieve effective protection against the HI virus. That's why the study results of the South African AIDS Research Center "CAPRISA" were presented almost euphorically.

During the course of the study, the subjects were divided into two equal groups. One group received tenofovir gel and the other a placebo. All study participants were given detailed advice on possible contagious risks of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, all women were given sufficient condoms and were regularly examined and treated with medical treatment. As the researchers emphasize, the study was designed with "the highest ethical standards" if the course of study appears morally reprehensible. Because the subjects who received a placebo, eventually went out despite advice that they have been given an effective "anti-AIDS drug".

After 30 months, 38 women who had received the "tenofovir" gel had been infected with the immunodeficiency syndrome "AIDS". In the group that had received ineffective money, a total of 60 women had been infected with AIDS. Converted to the study duration of the subjects, there were 5.6 HIV virus infections per 100 years of participation in the drug group and 9.1 in the drug-free group. In purely mathematical terms, the risk of contagion dropped by almost 40 percent (39)..

The women who used the active ingredient gel regularly during intercourse, the infection frequency was even 54 percent lower. But if the study results suggest that the gel has provided some protection against AIDS, studies will continue to be needed to re-examine the results. The authors of the study also see it that way.

From the use of the gel, researchers hope that women will receive a "self-determined protection" in the future. So far, women depend on whether men use a condom or not. Because in Africa, women can hardly prevail over their male partner to use a condom. Because of this, AIDS in Africa affects mostly women. About 60 percent of those newly infected are women. With the new gel, the scientists hope for a turnaround and better protection, especially for women.

But as mentioned, the study results should be considered with caution. Once before there was the message, there was a completely new anti-AIDS gel. At first, it looked as if the remedy "Pro 2000" could protect against infection. In a larger study with about 9,000 women, however, it turned out that the vaginal gel was completely ineffective. (Sb)

Also read:
UN warns against rapid spread of AIDS
World AIDS Conference: Rights here and now
AIDS: No fate with real antibodies?

Picture: BirgitH