UNWire stories - Microbicides, HIV/AIDS
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MICROBICIDES: Researchers Close In On Gel To Block HIV Transmission
U.S. and British researchers have said they may be a step closer to
developing microbicides that can stop the spread of HIV without using
condoms, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2743385.stm> BBC Online
reported this week.
Writing in <http://www.nature.com/nm/> Nature Medicine, researchers
said tests on monkeys of a microbicidal gel indicated the gel worked
to stop the virus from reaching vulnerable cells and increased the
body's defenses. The scientists said the vaginal gel protected ma-
caques from infection with SIV, the simian equivalent of HIV, for
more than seven hours.
Recent figures cited by BBC Online indicate the number of women in-
fected with HIV is increasing steadily worldwide. The Joint U.N. Pro-
gram on HIV/AIDS says 42 million people worldwide are affected by the
disease, including 19.2 million women and 3.2 million children under
15. With an estimated 2 million more women in Africa infected with
HIV than men, aid agencies say women are more vulnerable to the dis-
ease, although more than half of all women in sub-Saharan Africa tend
to have only one sexual partner, mainly their husbands.
Although more research is required, specialists say microbicides
could offer women greater choice and control in protecting themselves
from HIV infection. In addition, some of the 60 compounds being
tested could also be used as contraceptives and protect against other
sexually transmitted diseases (BBC Online, Feb. 10).
So far, little money has been invested in this line of research, ac-
cording to
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,171205,00.html?>
Agence France-Presse. The only candidate gel to have been tested so
far, the over-the-counter spermicide nonoxynol-9, was tested on pros-
titutes in Africa and Thailand. It was found to actually increase the
risk of catching HIV, possibly by damaging vaginal mucus membranes
(AFP/Straits Times, Feb. 12).
<http://www.unwire.org/unwire/current.asp#32015current.asp\#contents>
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HIV/AIDS: U.S. Scientists Praise New Studies, Warn Of Drug Resistance
Researchers at the <http://www.retroconference.org/2003/>10th Confer-
ence on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, which is being
held in Boston this week, have praised the high number of HIV/AIDS
medicines in development, saying new drugs are urgently needed as pa-
tients develop resistance to powerful drug cocktails that have pro-
longed their lives. Scientists provided details of at least 10 drugs
they said could substantially expand the choices for treatment and
make it more difficult for patients to develop drug resistance.
One leading researcher warned, however, that these studies could take
several more years to gain federal approval and may still produce un-
anticipated side effects. "It's wonderful to see the drug industry
looking and to see some of these results," said Calvin Cohen, re-
search director of <http://www.crine.org/>Community Research Initia-
tive of New England and <http://www.harvardvanguard.org/>Harvard Van-
guard Medical Associates. "But it's also important not to rely on new
drugs to get us out of this mess."
AIDS specialists also cautioned that the virus appears to be spread-
ing in the United States for the first time since 1993, with a 1 per-
cent increase reported in 2001. Although the increase was small, they
said, communities are affected at disproportionate rates. "It's very
important to keep reminding the American public that HIV/AIDS is
still a serious problem in our own country," said Ronald Valdiserri,
a top AIDS specialist at the U.S. <http://www.cdc.gov/>Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (Stephen Smith,
<http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/043/nation/Scientists_see_new_hope
_in_treating_AIDS.shtml> Boston Globe, Feb. 12).
A U.S. health official at the conference pushed yesterday for wider
use of a rapid HIV test to identify newly infected people quickly and
reduce their chances of transmitting the virus to others. The test,
approved by the Food and Drug Administration in November, can provide
results in 20 minutes, whereas results from the standard HIV test can
take up to several days to receive, with many patients failing to re-
turn for the results at all.
An estimated 800,000 to 900,000 Americans are living with HIV, the
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/12/health/12IMMU.html> New York Times
reports, but about 280,000 do not know that they are infected (Law-
rence Altman, New York Times, Feb. 12).
<http://www.unwire.org/unwire/current.asp#32015current.asp\#contents>
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Dr. Leela McCullough
Director of Information Services
SATELLIFE
30 California Street, Watertown, MA 02472, USA
Tel: +1-617-926-9400
Fax: +1-617-926-1212
mailto:leela@usa.healthnet.org
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