UCSF has announced initiation of a trial of “the first U.S. study of the safety of a new a [sic] vaginal gel designed to prevent herpes and HIV infection.” VivaGel™, the product being tested is by Starpharma, a firm based in Melbourne, Australia. It is fundamentally a nanotechnology drug.
Company explains:
The active ingredient of VivaGel™ is a dendrimer. Dendrimers are carefully-assembled tiny particles with many potential applications in medicine and industry. The surface of the active dendrimer in VivaGel™ is covered with regions that are thought to bind to the HIV or HSV-2 viruses. Scientists believe that the microbicidal activity already proven in animals arises because the viruses cannot enter cells when the dendrimer is attached, and so cannot cause infection…
VivaGel™ would be used with a single-use, pre-filled vaginal applicator. The economics of the product — active ingredient, formulation and applicator — are seen to be well matched to a mass market application.
VivaGel™ has also been shown to be a contraceptive in rabbits, and compatible with condoms in laboratory tests.
VivaGel™ would be used with a single-use, pre-filled vaginal applicator. The economics of the product — active ingredient, formulation and applicator — are seen to be well matched to a mass market application.In the picture above, one can see how SPL7013, the active dendrimer ingredient of Starpharma’s VivaGel™, binds to surface proteins on HIV, preventing the virus from infecting human T-cells.
Starpharma company page…
More about dendrimers from the Chemical & Engineering News…