Former U.S. president Bill Clinton speaks during the AIDS conference in Toronto on Tuesday.

Microbicide gels touted as preventative AIDS tool

CTV.ca News Staff

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has touted microbicide gels as one of the best hopes in the fight against AIDS and a small Toronto pharmaceutical company may hold the key to winning the battle.

"The most promise of the prevention tools is not the most immediate... if you have microbicides you're going to empower women to save their own lives and stop them from being infected," Clinton said Tuesday at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto .

While some discussions have focused on pills that can be taken before sexual encounters, the biggest emphasis has been on the use of microbicides.

A microbicide is a compound used by women before sex that kills the AIDS virus before it becomes infectious.

The clear gel is inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse and contains agents that stop the AIDS virus from sticking to and entering immune cells.

Canadian-made microbicides are one of five products being tested in some 30,000 women in Africa and India.

The Canadian product, called cellulose sulfate, is made from simple cotton fibres by Polydex Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Known as Ushercell, the product was discovered almost accidentally as it was originally designed to be used in processing instant-camera film.

However, in animal trials, Ushercell formed a tightly-woven molecular fence that prevented the human immunodeficiency virus from entering or making contact with vaginal cells.

"So far to date in the safety studies and tolerant studies, it's absolutely well tolerated. No problems," said Polydex president George Usher.

Scientists are now waiting for data on how well microbicides stop HIV infection.

"Even a 60 per cent effectiveness for the product would avert more than two million HIV infections among women," said South African Medical Research's Dr. Gita Ramjee. "That's a huge impact."

In many parts of the world, 75 per cent of all new HIV infections are in young women because many men refuse to wear condoms despite knowing about the dangers.

"At the moment we are dependant on what the man thinks, of what the man decides. Microbicides will give women power and authority over their lives," said delegate Musa Njoko.

The first study results are expected by the end of 2007, and if they work, microbicides will be available by 2009.

That's quick in scientific terms, but not fast enough for the thousands of women being infected every day, said CTV's medical specialist Avis Favaro.

Based on a report by Avis Favaro