A newly discovered drug might someday soon lead to the prevention of the spreading of HIV in humans.
The drug, which was applied to the vaginal surface of monkeys 15 minutes before exposure to the immunodeficiency virus simian HIV, has yet to be tested on humans.
A group of scientists, led by Ronald Veazey from the Tulane National Primate Research Center, reported that the drug protected the animals from infection.
The findings were released in this month's Science journal in an article written by a team led by Dr. Michael Lederman, a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals of Cleveland Center for AIDS Research.
These experimental findings have potentially important implications for understanding vaginal transmission of HIV and its prevention.
"Treatment and prevention are complementary activities," said Dr. Myron Cohen, a professor of medicine at UNC, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and director of the Center for Infectious Diseases. "Women are at grave risk across the world for acquiring HIV from male sexual partners.
"A product that women could use and that she could acquire herself (to protect against HIV) is an absolute commitment (to the cause of prevention)."
Experts say they are not sure when they will begin human testing.
"There is a number of steps to go from this stage to a human stage. It may be a few years," said George Stamatis, director of medical public affairs at CWRU.