S.Africa eager to see speedy roll-out of AIDS gel

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent

VIENNA (Reuters) - South Africa is considering rolling out use of a vaginal gel which can protect women against HIV during sex before it is officially licensed by drug regulators, the country's health minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at an international AIDS conference in Vienna, Aaron Motsoaledi said the need was so great for effective HIV prevention measures in his country -- where 1,000 people die from AIDS-related illnesses each day -- that his ministry was keen to act on early evidence of the gel's success.

"We are very interested in it. We believe in an evidence-based approach and if scientists say this thing is going to work, then we will definitely be looking at it," Motsoaledi told Reuters when asked if his government was planning to move ahead with the gel before it is licensed.

"So far, evidence is showing that it is ... very promising."

Researchers said on Monday that the gel, which is known as a microbicide and contains a prescription drug from U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences, can sharply reduce HIV infections in women who use it before and after sex.

The findings caused great excitement among the 20,000 scientists, activists and HIV positive people gathered for a biennial international conference on AIDS in Vienna.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations AIDS group UNAIDS described the trial as ground-breaking and WHO director Margaret Chan said she would work to speed up access to the product if further results show it is safe and effective.

While there is no actual product available yet, researchers who led the study, which was funded by the South African government and USAID, said making the gel and the applicators needed to apply it is likely to be relatively cheap and easy.