Trials halt after gel found to increase HIV risk

摘要

Microbicidal gels are one of the great hopes for reducing rates of HIV in women as they are cheap, easy to apply and don't require the consent of male partners. But the news that one of the gels being tested actually increases the risk of infection has shocked scientists and halted clinical trials. The cellulose sulphate gel, called Ushercell and made by Polydex, based in Toronto, Canada, was in phase III clinical trials involving more than 1,330 women in South Africa, Benin, Uganda and India.