NEW YORK, NY (June 21, 2018) – A new Phase I study of the Population Council’s multipurpose prevention technology (MPT) gel PC-1005, launching this week, will examine the safety of the gel when used rectally by both men and women. If proven effective, PC-1005 gel would be the first product to prevent three incurable sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—HIV, herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human papillomavirus (HPV)—when used either vaginally or rectally.

The new rectal safety study of PC-1005 gel, to be conducted by the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, will be known as MTN-037. The study will enroll approximately 12 HIV-uninfected men and women at two sites in the United States. In an effort to study the gel as broadly as possible, the trial will be open to both cisgender and transgender participants. The study builds on positive results from a recent phase I study that looked at vaginal use of the gel.

“Addressing the global health crisis of STIs is a cornerstone of improving sexual and reproductive health for women and men worldwide,” said Tom Zydowsky, Population Council director of biomedical research and pharmaceutical development, HIV and AIDS. “Viral STIs such as HIV, HSV, and HPV cause life-threatening illness and create a huge burden on health systems, especially in low-income countries. If proven effective, an MPT gel such as PC-1005 could contribute significantly to efforts to curb these incurable viral STIs.”

PC-1005 gel, also known as MZC gel, contains three key ingredients that provide broad-spectrum antiviral activity:

MIV-150, a highly potent antiretroviral drug that is effective against HIV;
Zinc acetate, an antiviral compound that protects against HIV and HSV; and
Carrageenan, a seaweed-derived compound that is among the most potent anti-HPV agents identified to date.

Worldwide, an estimated 1.8 million people are infected with HIV annually, and more than a million people contract STIs every day. Read more via Population Council