According to Laurie Sylla, research project director of the Yale AIDS Program, microbicides may be the key in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Sylla spoke on microbicide development at the Public Affairs Center on Wednesday night.
Still in development, microbicides are substances that are topically applied and can help reduce the chances of STD transmission. By allowing women more control in the decision to protect against infection, microbicides also have great implications for gender issues, especially in the developing world.
Microbicides have the potential to come in many forms, such as gels, creams, suppositories, films, or lubricants. Because they can be pre-applied, Sylla said that microbicides would offer more practical STD prevention than condoms.
“The condom is the gold standard,” Sylla said. “But when do you need to put on a condom? When you least want to.”
While microbicides will not replace condoms, advocates hope that they will significantly reduce HIV/AIDS infections worldwide. Researchers have suggested that if a small proportion of women in poorer countries used a 60 percent efficacious microbicide in 50 percent of sexual encounters where no condoms are used, 2.5 million HIV/AIDS infections could be avoided over three years. Additionally, not all microbicides act as contraceptives. This would allow women to seek pregnancy without having to fear the negative health consequences of an ostensibly unfaithful partner.
Despite 15 years of development, microbicides are still a few years off from being available for public use. Sylla described the research methods currently being used for microbicide development.
“About six [microbicides] began phase three [final step] clinical trials in the last year,” Sylla said. “We need a product that will work against the virus, but not harm the body’s natural protection.”
Because no major pharmaceutical company is researching microbicides, developers are completely reliant on the public sector to support their work, according to Sylla. Currently, about two percent of the federal money used for HIV/AIDS research, which totals $100 million, is going toward microbicide development.
Sylla stressed that more money is needed, and that making the general population aware of the potentials of microbicides is an important step. While the ongoing search for HIV/AIDS treatments and cures has been in the spotlight since the 1980s, the development of new methods of prevention has been slow to reach attention on the national level.
Microbicides are a pressing issue internationally, however. A video shown during the talk depicted interviews with women from all over the world, including Africa. The World Bank has committed to buying a large amount of microbicides when they become ready for public use. Sylla explained that another key objective in the development of microbicides is low cost.
“The people who need it most should get it first,” Sylla said.
Sylla took questions for over an hour, and stayed after with a few students who had additional questions. Students were receptive to her message, and appeared to have gained a lot of information from the lecture.
“It was pretty awesome,” said Elena Logvinenko ’09. “I like the fact that microbicides give women more power.”
Beth Williams ’06 and Leah Katz ’07, who work for Planned Parenthood on campus, were instrumental in bringing Sylla to campus.
“She spoke at our Planned Parenthood training about a month ago,” said Williams. “She volunteered to come [to Wesleyan].”
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