Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc.; Wednesday August 19, 1998
The researchers previously released preliminary findings last year when it first became apparent that nonoxynol 9 was not protective against HIV. The final results are published in the August 20th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
The trial included over 1,000 HIV-negative female sex workers in Africa. The researchers, led by Ronald E. Roddy of the nonprofit research organization Family Heath International, based in Durham, North Carolina, randomly assigned the women to use a vaginal film containing 70 milligrams of nonoxynol 9 or a placebo film. In addition, the women were given condoms, along with instructions on how to use them.
"Nonoxynol 9 film did not give the women in this study any additional protection against infection with HIV, gonorrhea, or chlamydia beyond that provided by condoms and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases," they report.
"The particular product we tested did not show evidence of protection against sexually transmitted diseases, but the result cannot be overly generalized," write the researchers. "Other formulations of nonoxynol 9, as well as additional microbiocidal compounds with different mechanisms of action, need to be tested as prophylaxis against these diseases."
Dr. Willard Cates, Jr., president of Family Health International, told Reuters Health that since the completion of this study, several new trials have been initiated, including one examining the effects of a higher dose of the spermicide.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine 1998;339:504-510.
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