OAKLAND, Calif., July 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- A potential breakthrough in HIV prevention has stirred excitement and optimism among researchers and advocates for sexual and reproductive health because it is an important example of a product that may protect women against both HIV and an additional sexually transmitted infection (STI).
"We have long recognized the need for prevention methods that could address more than just one disease or reproductive health need," said Bethany Young Holt, director of the Public Health Institute's (PHI) Coalition Advancing Multipurpose Initiative (CAMI), a Bay Area-based international consortium of advocates and researchers that promotes the use of multipurpose contraceptives to prevent HIV, STIs and unintended pregnancy. "The South Africa study results really give us hope that prevention tools will be available that will empower women and couples to protect themselves against HIV and address other sexual and reproductive health needs."
Researchers in South Africa found that a vaginal gel applied by women before and after sex cut the chance of acquiring the virus that causes AIDS by 39 percent and the genital herpes virus by 52 percent. Presented at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna today, this is the first time an HIV-prevention method controlled by women -- who bear the brunt of the epidemic in Africa -- has been shown to work. Though HIV experts and scientists are cautiously optimistic about the gel, the news of a safe and effective tool to help women prevent HIV and other STIs offers hope to women and advocates for their health around the world.
CAMI is taking a lead role in a global initiative aimed at raising awareness and support for new and existing approaches and tools that can be used to address multiple reproductive and sexual health needs. These approaches include cervical barriers and intervaginal rings that could deliver HIV prevention drugs such as the gel and perhaps even contraceptive hormones.
The microbicide gel, which researchers estimate could prevent half a million HIV infections over the next 10 years in South Africa, contained the anti-retroviral drug tenofovir, provided free by California-based Gilead Sciences, Inc. Northern California-based Gilead has licensed the rights to produce the gel, royalty-free, to CONRAD and the International Partnership on Microbicides for the 95 poorest countries in the world. Jim Rooney, a vice president at Gilead, has been on CAMI's steering committee of representatives from biotechnology, academia, health care providers and advocacy groups.
"The AIDS research community has waited for decades for microbicide development to begin proving its effectiveness," said Donald Francis, MD, DSc, the executive director of Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases who has long been at the forefront of AIDs vaccine research. "The tenacity of the research community, including CONRAD, organizations like PHI's CAMI, and their private sector partners like Gilead, are to be applauded, especially after so much investment with little demonstrated success until now. This exciting announcement, while still needing to be verified and replicated, is a landmark study that holds much promise for prevention of multiple sexual and reproductive health infections including HIV/AIDS."
The microbicide gel cut the risk of HIV infection by 50 percent after one year of use and 39 percent after 2 1/2 years, compared to a gel that contained no drug (the placebo). The gel also cut in half the chances of getting HSV-2, the herpes virus that causes genital warts. This means that this gel may offer people protection from two or more infections. Even partial protection is a huge victory and could save countless lives around the globe, particularly among couples anywhere where one partner is infected and the other is not.
While the study focused on HIV, researchers did not expect the gel would provide the added benefit of blocking the herpes virus. These results offer cautious optimism about the potential for multipurpose prevention technologies for sexual and reproductive health but more research is needed.
The study was sponsored by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, or CAPRISA; Family Health International; CONRAD, an AIDS research effort based at Eastern Virginia Medical School; and funded primarily by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
About the Public Health Institute
The Public Health Institute (PHI), an independent nonprofit organization based in Oakland, Calif., is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. PHI's primary methods for achieving these goals include: sharing evidence developed through quality research and evaluation; providing training and technical assistance; and promoting successful prevention strategies to policymakers, communities, and individuals.
To read more about the study, go to:
http://www.avac.org/ht/d/sp/i/28226/pid/28226
http://www.global-campaign.org/CAPRISA004.htm
To find out more about multipurpose prevention technologies and CAMI, visit http://www.cami-health.com
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CONTACT: Cinderella Lee, Public Health Institute Communications, 510-285-5533
Media Contact: See above.
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