This short report summarises five different sets of priorities for action on microbicides: development, marketing, public health, consumer access and advocacy. These are the key points of reports from five Working Groups of experts, assembled by the Microbicide Initiative, an umbrella organisation dedicated to the production and global use of microbicides. The full report of the Scientific Working Group is recommended reading, which represents a scientific roadmap for understanding microbicides and accelerating their development.

The key points listed in this summary include the need for further research into preventing the HIV virus from crosssing the mucous membranes of the female genital tract, and the roles of other sexually transmitted diseases. It also outlines the complexities and challenges of pre-clinical and clinical testing, and features a table listing products in clinical trials, as of February 2002.

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