Researchers halted a study in Africa testing whether a daily antiretroviral pill can prevent women from becoming infected with the AIDS virus. So far, women taking the pill are just as likely as those taking the placebo to become infected. Of the 1,900 women taking the pill and placebo, 28 in both groups became infected. Researchers are still hopeful about obtaining better results in future studies, however. The drug, called Truvada, was found to protect gay men in a study that was published in November. One question being asked is whether there was a difference in how often the women actually took the pills; some women taking Truvada complained of side effects. There is also the question of how much Truvada infused the walls of the vagina, where the initial infection takes place. Some argue that vaginal gels are more effective at getting antirectoviral drugs into vaginal walls.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/world/africa/19hiv.html