by Jason Stotts
Bussinessweek is reporting on a new study for a drug called Viread that is having some very promising trials:
A vaginal gel containing Gilead Sciences Inc.’s AIDS drug Viread cut HIV infections by as much as 54 percent in a trial in South Africa…
“It’s a game-changing trial,” said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the New York-based AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group, in an interview. “At last, here is now proof of concept that we can use a microbicide against HIV. It’s a transformative moment in prevention science.”
Women who used the gel had the added benefit of being protected from genital herpes, or HSV-2, a disease that increases a person’s susceptibility to HIV infection. Women who used the gel had a 51 percent reduction in new herpes infections.
This is very promising news and combined with the trials in the antibody research means that for the first time, real steps are being taken to rid the world of AIDS.