A new vaginal ring, which provides a combination of ART and contraception, has been shown in laboratory tests to prevent pregnancy and HIV transmission. The study, headed by Drs. Brij Saxena and Jeffrey Laurence, both of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, will be published in AIDS later this year.
The ring uses three ART drugs, released by the ring over a 28 day period, to prevent the transmission of HIV. The drugs are: AZT, the lesser known PMPA, and a new compound called Boc-lysinated betulonic acid, or dapivirine. "The combination of these antiviral drugs has proven to be potent agents that may block infection by the HIV virus," Dr. Saxena told the the Times of India. The contraception the ring provides, which is non-hormonal, prevents conception by raising the acidity of the vagina, thickening vaginal mucus, and diminishing sperm motility.
This is a huge step forward: a method to both prevent conception and the transmission of AIDS that depends only on female compliance has been a goal of researchers for a long time.
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