Michael Lucas on Reviving AIDS Art BY Michael Lucas November 04
2010 4:00 PM ET Clearly, researchers are developing vaginal
microbicides to stem the international AIDS epidemic, which
affects many more millions in Africa than in the U.S. The
microbicides in development are not effective enough to replace
condoms as the most viable preventive measure and are currently
only being tested for use in developing countries. One could
argue that the American news media coverage only reflects these
realities. However, in considering advancements in international
HIV prevention, it may be possible to see how national policy
will be formulated as well. An October 25 announcement from the
Food and Drug Administration and the CONRAD research institute
declared that a vaginal microbicide will be fast-tracked for
approval for use as a preventive tool against HIV. As American-
led international bodies begin planning to manufacture and
distribute vaginal microbicides, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention has yet to f