http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/health/0,2172,143824,00.html

Scientists at the United States reproductive health organisation (CONRAD) are studying the clinical trial data of the controversial microbicide gel. It was tested on over 1000 women in several countries, including South Africa and India. Preliminary results on the gel showed a potential to increase the risk of HIV infection instead of lowering it. The trials have since been halted. However, Annette Larken, the CONRAD spokesperson, says all necessary safety tests were carried out before the trials.

Larken says cellulose sulfate was tested in 11 safety studies, eight of them in the US and there was one study for use of a contraceptive that proved very promising and that was carried out on 200 women in the US so with these very vigorous studies they decided to take this microbicide into a phase three clinical trial which is the last stage before FDA or drug approval by government agencies.

Larken says there is an urgent need to find women-controlled HIV prevention methods. She says research into this is ongoing and the fact is many men will not use condoms so they need a method that females can control whether it is a gel or diaphragm." We need that because right now the only way to truly prevent HIV is to use a condom," says Larken.