HIV Testing Blog

Scientists have developed what some are calling a “molecular condom”. The “condom” is actually a gel that, if used correctly, could help prevent women from contracting HIV.

The gel was developed to “enable women to protect themselves against HIV without approval of their partner”. To use it the woman would only need to insert the gel a few hours before sex. The gel flows easily at the vaginal pH, and becomes more solid as the pH increases to that of semen. As the gel turns solid it traps AIDS virus particles, preventing them from infecting vaginal cells.

Due to several factors, women often have difficulty convincing their partners to use protections; however, with this new gel the woman wouldn’t even have to negotiate. It is a form of protection she can use on her own, without her partner’s knowledge.

If all goes as planned, the scientists estimate the gel will be tested in humans within three to five years, and it will be available in the years after that.

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Merck announced on Thursday that the FDA has approved expanded use of its HIV drug, Isentress, Reuters. Isentress has been FDA-approved since 2007, but was limited “to use in patients who had drug-resistant strains or were failing on other therapies, also in combination with other HIV drugs. Now it can be used in all adult patients,” the AP/CNBC.com reports. According to AP/CNBC.com, “Isentress is an integrase inhibitor, meaning it works by blocking the enzyme integrase, one of three types of enzymes the AIDS virus uses to reproduce and infect cells”

For the full article, please refer to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157219.php