A new Phase 2b clinical trial will study the effectiveness of antiretroviral vaginal gels and oral tablets in preventing HIV infection in women.

The Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic (VOICE) study will test the safety and efficacy of two different HIV prevention methods. The gel contains Viread (tenofovir), and the oral tablets contain Viread or Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir).

For the first time, participants will be able to apply the gel at any time throughout the day. This makes the gel easier to use and offers greater privacy than…

A recent fact sheet published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examines whether HIV-infected individuals with undetectable viral load, or amount of virus in the blood, are less infectious and are thus less likely to spread infection through sexual transmission.

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) includes medications that are able to decrease the replication of virus, thereby decreasing the amount of virus in the body. HIV-infected individuals undergoing ART can often suppress viral load to undetectable levels.

Studies in Uganda, Spain and San Francisco of heterosexual populations, or…