NAT backs call to discontinue Nonoxynol-9
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This month, the National Aids Trust backed a US campaign
for manufacturers to voluntarily remove the spermicide Nonoxynol-9 (N-9)
from their products.
Research has shown that N-9 - the active ingredient in over-the-counter
contraceptive products and found in some lubricants and condoms - has
been found to increase the risk of HIV transmission.
Just small amounts of N-9 can cause significant damage
to the lining of the rectum when used for anal sex - significantly increasing
the risk of HIV and other STI transmission.
Originally developed as a detergent, N-9 has been used for nearly 50 years
in creams that rapidly kill sperm cells. Cautions issued on N-9 were reinforced
over the summer when the World Health Organisation and the Centers for
Disease Control issued warnings that it has been found ineffective in
stopping HIV and other STIs.
Nonoxynol-9 is particularly dangerous during anal sex because it can break
up or irritate the cell lining, and the rectum only has a single-cell
wall, while the vagina has a wall about 40 cells thick.
In the US, a campaign has succeeded in forcing every major manufacturer
of N-9 containing lubricants to re-formulate their products.
Atazanavir: looking good
The latest signing to the HIV drug team is the first
once-a-day protease inhibitor (PI), atazanavir (Zrivada). As the first
PI that does not raise fat levels in the blood, it was already of interest.
But two studies aired at the 42nd ICAAC Conference in San Diego imply
that it may be a drug of unexpected potency.
One study compared the performance of atazanavir with efavirenz in regimes
also including AZT and 3TC. Patients were new to HIV treatment, so atazanavir's
performance with the drug-experienced
cannot directly be inferred.
