SYDNEY, Dec 1 (AFP) - An Australian drug company announced Wednesday that it had developed a vaginal gel which could halt the spread of AIDS.

Starpharma said the water-based VivaGel had been proven successful in animals and a first phase of human clinical trials had been completed.

"It works by preventing the AIDS virus from attaching to and infecting human cells," Starpharma scientist Alex Szabo said in releasing the results of the company's research.

"Women would apply the gel vaginally as they might a vaginal lubricant or something like that and then that provides a chemical protection to the infection process," he said.

Szabo said the gel sticks to the AIDS virus at a molecular level, blocking its ability to attach to healthy cells.

Starpharma reported the results of its research to the Australian Stock Exchange late last month and released the findings to coincide with World AIDS Day, he said.

A first testing phase found the gel produced no ill effects in women and Starpharma now plans to proceed to the next clinical trials.

"We have to date verified that the product prevents infection in animal models, monkeys in particular, but of course we need to verify that in humans," he said.

"Of course demonstrating that would be the holy grail for us," he said.

Even if the trials are successful, it will be several years before the gel is commercially available, he said.

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