Health & Medicine
More Heterosexual Couples Go Greek, Anti-HIV Gel Can Be Used Vaginally and Anally
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Apr 19, 2013 12:53 PM EDT
These days, anything goes--and you know what we're talking about. Whether traditional doggy style or furry fandom, couples--heterosexual or homosexual--are ready and willing to try, well, just about anything. And that includes the bottom line.
In fact, though older generations may believe anal sex is strictly practiced among gay men, a survey released from 2007 shows the exact opposite. Approximately 38.2 percent of men between 20 and 39 years old, along with 32.6 percent of women ages 18 to 44 in heterosexual relationships, regularly go Greek.
And to make things just a bit better, a new study shows that a reformulated version of an anti-HIV gel developed for vaginal use has been found not only safe and acceptable by HIV-negative men and women, but can also, now be used rectally for the same safety benefits.
The study, led by researchers with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), tested a reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel, and has spurred the development of an expanded safety study of the gel, expected to launch later this year.
Rectal microbicides or gel-based antiretroviral products applied into the rectum with the use of an applicator, are commonly used to as an approach for preventing or reducing sexual transmission of HIV from unprotected anal sex. Researchers are working on developing rectal-specific products as well as reformulations of vaginal products, specifically, tenofovir gel.
The MTN-007 study found that is the first to evaluate the gel, which is reformulated with less glycerin, a common additive found in many gel-like products in the hopes of making it better suited for use in the rectum. The study started in October 2010 and enrolled 65 men and women at three health sites, including the University of Pittsburgh, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Fenway Health in Boston.
Study participants were randomly assigned to one of four study groups. Three of the groups were assigned to use one of the following products for a week: a reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel; a placebo gel containing no active ingredient; or a gel containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9. A fourth group did not use any gel but took part in all of the study-related procedures and tests, including physical and rectal exams.
The results showed that there were no significant side-effects found in the three gel groups. Eighty percent of participants reported minor side-effects related to the use of study products, while 19 percent reported moderate side-effects. (Two study participants reported severe adverse events, but they were not related to use of the study products.) The majority of the participants also said they would like to use the product again for sexual activities.
Researchers are now in the final, Phase II stage of creating the product. Further investigation for its material will involved 186 men who have sex with men and transgender women at clinical sites in Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Participants will cycle through three study regimens: reformulated tenofovir gel used daily, reformulated tenofovir gel used before and after anal sex, and daily use of the antiretroviral tablet Truvada®. MTN-017 will allow researchers to collect additional information about the gel's safety and acceptability in the rectum, and compare it to the use of Truvada.
The results are from a Phase I clinical trial published in PLOS ONE.
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First Posted: Apr 19, 2013 12:53 PM EDT
These days, anything goes--and you know what we're talking about. Whether traditional doggy style or furry fandom, couples--heterosexual or homosexual--are ready and willing to try, well, just about anything. And that includes the bottom line.
In fact, though older generations may believe anal sex is strictly practiced among gay men, a survey released from 2007 shows the exact opposite. Approximately 38.2 percent of men between 20 and 39 years old, along with 32.6 percent of women ages 18 to 44 in heterosexual relationships, regularly go Greek.
And to make things just a bit better, a new study shows that a reformulated version of an anti-HIV gel developed for vaginal use has been found not only safe and acceptable by HIV-negative men and women, but can also, now be used rectally for the same safety benefits.
The study, led by researchers with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), tested a reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel, and has spurred the development of an expanded safety study of the gel, expected to launch later this year.
Rectal microbicides or gel-based antiretroviral products applied into the rectum with the use of an applicator, are commonly used to as an approach for preventing or reducing sexual transmission of HIV from unprotected anal sex. Researchers are working on developing rectal-specific products as well as reformulations of vaginal products, specifically, tenofovir gel.
The MTN-007 study found that is the first to evaluate the gel, which is reformulated with less glycerin, a common additive found in many gel-like products in the hopes of making it better suited for use in the rectum. The study started in October 2010 and enrolled 65 men and women at three health sites, including the University of Pittsburgh, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Fenway Health in Boston.
Study participants were randomly assigned to one of four study groups. Three of the groups were assigned to use one of the following products for a week: a reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel; a placebo gel containing no active ingredient; or a gel containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9. A fourth group did not use any gel but took part in all of the study-related procedures and tests, including physical and rectal exams.
The results showed that there were no significant side-effects found in the three gel groups. Eighty percent of participants reported minor side-effects related to the use of study products, while 19 percent reported moderate side-effects. (Two study participants reported severe adverse events, but they were not related to use of the study products.) The majority of the participants also said they would like to use the product again for sexual activities.
Researchers are now in the final, Phase II stage of creating the product. Further investigation for its material will involved 186 men who have sex with men and transgender women at clinical sites in Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S., including Puerto Rico. Participants will cycle through three study regimens: reformulated tenofovir gel used daily, reformulated tenofovir gel used before and after anal sex, and daily use of the antiretroviral tablet Truvada®. MTN-017 will allow researchers to collect additional information about the gel's safety and acceptability in the rectum, and compare it to the use of Truvada.
The results are from a Phase I clinical trial published in PLOS ONE.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone