News

Finding the missing link in HIV battle

26 July 2010

South Africa is moving fast to consolidate the scientific breakthrough announced last week by local HIV and Aids experts, who showed that a vaginal gel containing the antiretroviral tenofovir could prevent HIV in 40 percent of women.

Dr Mamphela Ramphele, chairwoman of government’s Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) said TIA’s affiliate, LifeLab, would work with the private sector to produce the gel containing tenofovir for further use.

Pharmaceutical company Gilead owns the patent for tenofovir, but donated 21kg of the active ingredients of the antiretroviral (ARV) to the South African study. A research company, Conrad, then made the gel for the South African study.

The researchers, all from the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in SA (Caprisa), say another independent study is necessary to test whether the tenofovir gel could work in other areas.

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said the government “will do everything in our power to take this forward and to make sure that everyone in our country and in the world, benefits from this study”.

“Women bear the brunt of this epidemic and all our weapons so far, have been weapons controlled by men,” he told the International Aids conference in Vienna this week.

“The condom is only used when men want. The female condom is also only used when men want. With male circumcision, again, it is young men who are protected. So, for the first time, we are dealing with the missing link.”

Read more at Independent Online.