Pill Coating Found to Kill AIDS Virus and Some Bacteria
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WASHINGTON — An ingredient used to coat pills to help them last longer in the digestive system could offer an avenue for preventing transmission of the AIDS virus, researchers said Sunday.
They said the ingredient kills not only HIV but also the herpes virus and the bacteria that cause a range of sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea, trichomonas and chlamydia.
Formulated into a cream, it has worked in mice to prevent disease transmission with no serious side-effects, said Dr. Robert Neurath, head of the Laboratory of Biochemical Virology at the New York Blood Center.
The ingredient is used to coat enteric tablets, which must dissolve in the small intestine rather than in the stomach. Known as cellulose acetate phthalate, it holds its own in the acidic environment of the stomach but breaks down in the intestine.
Neurath’s team had been looking for a microbicide--something besides a condom that would protect users from STDs and especially HIV. Groups that lobby for the development of a microbicide say many men refuse to use condoms and can be abusive to sexual partners who demand their use.
The result is that many women are infected each year.
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