India bans trial of Microbicide for HIV/AIDS prevention: Govt

New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) India has stopped trial of microbicide gel as an interim analysis revealed that the incidence of HIV in women using microbicide was higher as compared to the control group, Parliament was informed today.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that though the trial of anti-HIV gel on women was being conducted in Chennai and Bangalore it was stopped following the report of the Independent Data Monitoring Committee.

She said that the Phase III clinical trial of a candidate Microbicide '6% Cellulose Sulphate' was being conducted at YRG Care, Chennai and St John Medical College, Bangalore. The trial of microbicide also going on in South Africa, Benin and Uganda.

Microbicide are a major focus of HIV/AIDS research worldwide with a number of gels undergoing trial to check their efficacy in preventing the spread of the virus to women.

UNI