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February 19, 2008
African Microbicide Trial Disappoints
On February 18, researchers announced that a trial of a new vaginal microbicide, Carraguard—the first microbicide to proceed to late-stage testing—has yielded disappointing results, The China Post reports (chinapost.com.tw, 2/18).
The trial, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, followed more than 9,000 South African female volunteers from March 2004 through March 2007. Of this group, around 27 percent were found to be HIV positive and were disqualified. The remaining women were either given Carraguard or a placebo gel.
By the end of the trial period, there were 134 new infections in the Carraguard group and 151 in the placebo group.
However, the article notes that most of the women in the trial used the microbicide only 44 percent of the time, which researchers say may have skewed the results.
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