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MEDIA CENTER Population Council's Carraguard Microbicide Candidate JOHANNESBURG (17 May 2004) — The Population Council recently launched a large-scale efficacy trial of its lead candidate vaginal microbicide, Carraguard®. Microbicides are products—likely to be produced in the form of a gel, foam, or cream—that would substantially reduce the transmission of HIV, and possibly other sexually transmitted infections, when applied prior to sex. The trial is being conducted at three sites in South Africa, two of which—the Medical University of Southern Africa and the University of Cape Town—began recruitment earlier this year. Recruitment at the third site, the Medical Research Council in Durban, is scheduled to begin in August 2004. Carraguard and similar carrageenan gels have been found to be safe for vaginal use in several safety and expanded safety studies. The efficacy study, which is slated to run until September 2006, aims to enroll 6270 HIV-negative, not pregnant, sexually active women each of whom will be followed for up to two years. The purpose of the study is to determine if Carraguard is 33% more effective than a placebo (methyl cellulose gel) in preventing women from acquiring HIV during sex, as well as to ensure that Carraguard is safe to use for up to two years. The Population Council has also conducted additional trials of Carraguard in South Africa and Thailand. At the upcoming International AIDS conference in Bangkok, Population Council researchers will present data from three other Carraguard trials: an expanded safety and acceptability study conducted among HIV-negative couples in Chiang Rai, Thailand; a safety study among HIV-positive women in Chiang Rai, Thailand; and a safety study among HIV-positive men and women in Durban, South Africa. Additional information about the Population Council's microbicides program is available at www.popcouncil.org/microbicides. To read about Population Council and Horizons Program presentations at the AIDS conference, please visit www.popcouncil.org/BangkokAIDS.
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