The CAPRISA 004 study showed the antiretroviral-based vaginal microbicides to be safe and effective in reducing risks of new HIV infections among women by nearly 40 percent.
The two-and-a-half-year-old CAPRISA trial followed nearly 900 HIV-negative, sexually active South African women between ages 18 and 40 to determine how safe and effective tenofovir gel was in preventing HIV infection.