Carraguard

Carraguard is a vaginal microbicide gel developed by the Population Council, primarily composed of carrageenan, a sulfated polysaccharide derived from red seaweed. It was designed to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by acting as a physical barrier and a viral entry inhibitor. The mechanism of action involves the polyanionic carrageenan molecules binding to the viral envelope of HIV, specifically the gp120 protein, thereby blocking the virus from attaching to and infecting target cells in the vaginal mucosa. Despite showing safety and efficacy in preclinical and early-phase studies, a large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial involving over 6,000 women in South Africa concluded in 2008 that Carraguard was not effective in preventing HIV transmission, leading to the termination of its development for this indication. It has also been investigated for its potential to reduce the transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV).

Brand names

Carraguard

Other names

carrageenan gelPC-515 gelPC515 gelPC 515 gel