Could a Vaginal Gel Protect Women from HIV?

A recent study looks at how a vaginal cream applied after intercourse could help to prevent the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV. By studying monkeys, researchers found that more protected. 

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., headed the experiment, which involved macaque monkeys who were exposed to a hybrid of the virus. Researchers then administered an antimicrobial gel three hours following the exposure.

Findings showed that the gel-which is made of one percent solution of raltegravir, an anti-HIV drug, works by inhibiting the virus's ability to integrate its DNA into the body's genetic makeup.

And when the researchers tested the cream on the animals, five out of the six monkeys showed signs of protection from the virus.

"You can imagine this to be a useful product to have, if it were something you could buy over the counter and have at home just in case," Rowena Johnston, vice president of research for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research said according to WebMD.

"What we did in this work was we identified an anti-HIV drug that blocks virus integration in the DNA," said lead author Walid Heneine, a researcher in HIV/AIDS prevention for the CDC, via the AFP. "This is a prerequisite step for HIV infection, and that step takes at least six hours after infection so that provides a wide window for dosing after sex."

However, despite these successes, researchers also note that a human trial of the drug will not be available for several years.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the Science Translational Medicine.