Would men benefit from microbicides as well?
There is every reason to believe that a woman’s male partner would also be protected from infection if she used a vaginal microbicides that is bi-directional (one that disables HIV in vaginal secretions as well as semen). It may also be possible to develop microbicides that can be use rectally, but the safety and effectiveness of microbicides for rectal use must be established separately. Rectal safety studies of some potential microbicides have started.
