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Published online 10 February 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.91

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Microbicide gel may help against HIV

Early results suggest possible role against infection.

Meredith Wadman

After years of disappointments, AIDS researchers on 9 February announced the first preliminary results from a trial in which a vaginal microbicide seemed to reduce HIV infection. But experts caution that the findings fall shy of being statistically significant; a definitive answer will need to await the conclusion, later this year, of a much larger trial of the same microbicide.

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  • A study requiring 33% change from baseline for statistical significance is an obscene joke. Mouthwash would do better than that.

    • 10 Feb, 2009
    • Posted by: "Uncle Al" Schwartz

  • so 70% of the time someone may likely be infected. doesn't sound so great of odds to me. however i'm hopeful it will give those researching this scourge that plagues humanity. it is a terrible thing for those not in an exclusive relationship. my feelings, unscientific, is that the so-called cure will turn out to be as bad or worse than HIV. full-blown AIDS is the killer but the HIV-positives often unknowingly and in rare sociopathic cases continue to spread the disease. two challenges could be said to be the fact the virus likes to hide in the brain and secondly the virus mutates.

    • 11 Feb, 2009
    • Posted by: David Deal