Gel treatment cuts risk of HIV infections

Researchers have announced that when women properly use Tenofovir gel, their risk of contracting HIV is greatly reduced.

When the microbicide was applied to the vagina before and after sex, it cut the rate of HIV infection by 50 percent.

The results about the Tenofovir Gel come from the CAPRISA 004 Randomized Control Trial that looked at the gel's efficacy in 900 urban and rural South African women.

In the study, 445 of the women received the tenofovir gel, while 444 used a placebo. The researchers report that the women who used the microbe cut their risk of infection by 39 percent, but the ones who used it consistently cut their rate to 54 percent.

However after 18 months, the gel's effectiveness decreased. Did the women change their application behavior?

And if the gel is used by the masses, could HIV develop resistance to treatment?

via Financial Times

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com