New gel reduces HIV sexual transmission risk for women
BY SOLA OGUNDIPE
Women in Nigeria and other developing countries may soon have access to a new vaginal microbicide gel and drug formulation that can offer protection from HIV infection during intercourse.
A publication in the latest issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, noted that the gel-drug combo gives a woman control because it can be used discreetly without the woman having to inform her partner.
According to ImQuest BioSciences Inc. – the developers and researchers, the gel- drug is expected to be safe, cost-effective, andcould be avilable for human clinical trials in 2012.
Nigeria has a relatively low, but significant HIV prevalence among women aged 15-24 compared with most African countries.
HIV infection remains a major risk for women particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Women often have little control due to unequal gender status.
Investigators say the gel, the subject of the current research, will be cost-effective for such women, and laboratory studies suggest the gel-drug combination will be safe and effective. ImQuest BioSciences, Inc., the drug’s developer, hopes to have the gel-drug combination in human clinical trials in 2012.
One of the drug’s most important attributes is that it has two distinct mechanisms of action. IQP-0528, as the drug is known, inhibits the virus’ ability to enter human cells, as well as the reverse transcription of the virus’ genome into the host genome, “which is required for productive infection of the cell.
Indicators from laboratory studies suggest that the product will work very effectively. It was gathered that it was critical for the formulation to be stable at ambient temperatures of sub-Saharan Africa.
Investigation continues in developing a variety of options for drug, gel, and device formulations.
At present there are the intravaginal ring, and biofilm formulations of IQP-0528, in addition to the gel described in the paper, and products developed, which include combinations of IQP-0528 with tenofovir, which was recently found to inhibit the sexual transmission of HIV.
All this is in the interest of developing a product which women can use most easily and comfortably.
