Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Thursday November 13 5:24 PM EST
Developed over seven years by Laval University's Infectious Diseases Research Center, the new "condom" is in fact a non-toxic polymer-based liquid that solidifies into a gel at body temperature.
A woman or male homosexual partner would apply the liquid to genital or anal parts before a sexual encounter.
Laval said tests showed that the gel formed a water-proof film that dramatically reduced transmission of the HIV virus responsible for AIDS, and could also block the virus responsible for genital herpes.
Laval Infectious Diseases Research Center director Michel Bergeron told a news conference "we developed our 'invisible condom' to protect women who are victim of men who refuse to wear latex."
"We call it invisible because it can be used without telling the partner who doesn't want to use a latex condom," Bergeron said.
He noted that recent North American research showed that half of the people who practiced high-risk sex did not use latex condoms.
Laval plans human clinical tests in the next two years and hopes to market the product through a commercial drug company, pending regulatory approval in Canada and the United States.
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