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HIV microbicide acceptance high in phase I trial
 
 
  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Acceptance levels of the vaginal microbicide BufferGel (ReProtect, Baltimore), aimed at HIV prevention, are high among women in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Thailand and India who participated in a phase I trial.
 
"BufferGel had high levels of acceptability across sites, particularly in the two settings where the epidemic is more severe -- Malawi and Zimbabwe, study author Dr. Margaret E. Bentley told Reuters Health. "This suggests to us that women's perceived risk of infection is a key factor in their acceptance of a microbicide."
 
Dr. Bentley of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and colleagues enrolled a total of 92 women who were HIV-negative and at low risk of infection. The women were surveyed at 7 and 14 days after gel use and their partners also took part in focus groups, according to the report in July issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
 
Seventy-three percent of the women said they would use the product if it became available. This ranged from 100% in the women from Zimbabwe to 33% in Indian participants. More Indian women reported that they would not use the microbicide because they believed they were not at risk and did not need protection.
 
There were "no major safety or toxicity issues," Dr. Bentley said.
 
She added that "it is important to include men as we develop, test, research and market these products. This is particularly true for their use among married women -- who are at risk because of their husband's sexual behavior."
 
Am J Public Health 2004;94:1159-1164.
 

 

 
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