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BIOMEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
MICROBICIDES AND VACCINES
Overview
Vaccines
This fact sheet will focus on microbicides,
preventative vaccines, and therapeutic vaccines as
HIV prevention tactics. In order to effectively raise
the bars for prevention within the HIV care
continuum, health departments, medical providers,
and the community need to understand the need for
and importance of using the existing biomedical
prevention tools, monitor the landscape of new(er)
biomedical tools, and combine these interventions
with traditional behavioral prevention methods. For
additional resources, view this microbicide overview
(International Partnership for Microbicides) and HIV
Vaccines Explained (National Institutes of Health).
Vaccines are chemical or biological substances that
are injected into the body to force the body’s
immune system to recognize, react, and respond to
a particular virus or bacteria. There are two types
of vaccines:
 Preventative vaccines: used to teach the
body to protect against a particular disease
without the individual ever becoming sick
 Therapeutic vaccines: used to treat
individuals who already have a particular
disease.
Microbicides
Microbicides are gels, films, or suppositories that
can destroy or neutralize viruses and/or bacteria.
An example of a microbicide is an anti-bacterial
hand sanitizer. There are currently no microbicides
commercially available for use in preventing HIV
infection, but there is promising research, CAPRISA
004 Microbicide Study in 2010. This study
demonstrated that a microbicide gel containing an
antiretroviral (ARV) medication traditionally used to
treat HIV was 39% effective in reducing a woman’s
risk of infection via sexual activity if used before and
after each event of sexual activity. Additional
research is occurring around the world to trying to
find effective ARV and other agents, as well as other
formulations (e.g. gels, creams, lubricants,
douches, rings, etc.)
The use of microbicides could be significant in
preventing HIV because they would be easier to use
than condoms and they could be used without
negotiation between sexual partners prior to
intercourse. The eventual use of microbicides could
also lead to protection from HIV and allow
serodiscordant couples to conceive without risk of
transmission to the negative partner and/or the
unborn child.
These types of vaccines would have the greatest
impact on HIV infections globally, but at this time
there are no commercial vaccines available.
Research is occurring around the world to isolate
and identify an effective vaccine for HIV. The
greatest challenge for vaccine development is that
the HIV virus does not behave like other viruses and
rapidly mutates making it highly elusive. Due the
rapid mutation of the HIV virus, researchers have
been examining possible vaccines options from a
variety of angles. In 2009, The Thai HIV vaccine
study showed that a preventative vaccine is
possible, but this particular study used a boosted
vaccine regimen and was focused on a particular
region on HIV’s envelop protein and the resulting
immune response. Other vaccine or cure related
research is focused on gene therapy or gene
manipulation to create a strong immune response
in the body to prevent infection.
Having multiple prevention interventions available
will provide greater opportunities for individuals to
choose effective prevention methods that work for
them and their partners, which will lead to
significant decreases of HIV infection.
Last Updated: December 2014