OBJECTIVES This study measured and compared the pharmacokinetics of CMPD167, a small molecule antiretroviral CCR5 inhibitor with potential as an HIV microbicide, following vaginal, rectal and oral administration in rhesus macaques. METHODS A vaginal hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel, a rectal HEC gel, a silicone elastomer matrix-type vaginal ring and an oral solution, each containing CMPD167, w...

OBJECTIVES The feasibility of providing prolonged and controlled release of the experimental non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor TMC120 from a silicone vaginal ring in quantities sufficient to maintain a vaginal concentration offering protection against heterosexual HIV transmission was investigated. METHODS Core-type, silicone elastomer vaginal rings containing TMC120 were manufac...

Adherence measurement for microbicide use within the clinical trial setting remains a challenge for the HIV prevention field. This paper describes an assay method used for determining residual dapivirine levels in post-use vaginal rings from clinical trials conducted with the Dapivirine Vaginal Matrix Ring-004 developed by the International Partnership for Microbicides to prevent male to female...

BACKGROUND Our study compares the efficacy of the combined contraceptive vaginal ring to oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) for hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis suppression in egg donor in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. METHODS Our retrospective cohort study includes patients from the Center for Assisted Reproduction (CARE) in Bedford, Texas undergoing IVF cycles as egg donors from J...

The generation of effective levels of antigen-specific immunity at the mucosal sites of pathogen entry is a key goal for vaccinologists. We explored topical vaginal application as an approach to initiate local antigen-specific immunity, enhance previously existing systemic immunity or re-target responses to the mucosae. To deliver a protein vaccine formulation to the vaginal mucosal surface, we...

INTRODUCTION Poor adherence to product use has been observed in recent trials of antiretroviral (ARV)-based oral and vaginal gel HIV prevention products, resulting in an inability to determine product efficacy. The delivery of microbicides through vaginal rings is widely perceived as a way to achieve better adherence but vaginal rings do not eliminate the adherence challenges exhibited in clini...

BACKGROUND Product adherence is a pivotal issue in the development of effective vaginal microbicides to reduce sexual transmission of HIV. To date, the six Phase III studies of vaginal gel products have relied primarily on self-reporting of adherence. Accurate and reliable methods for monitoring user adherence to microbicide-releasing vaginal rings have yet to be established. METHODS A silico...

Vaginal rings releasing antiretrovirals - either alone or in combination with contraceptive progestins are being developed for contraception and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission via vagina. However, hormonal contraceptives associated numerous side effects contraindications, many women interested using hormone-free contraceptives. The aim this project is to develop m...