FREQUENT USE OF MENFEGOL SPERMICIDAL VAGINAL FOAMING TABLETS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGH-INCIDENCE OF GENITAL LESIONS

Menfegol is a spermicide with in vitro activity against human immunode ficiency virus (HIV), A randomized placebo-controlled safety study cov ered the use of menfegol foaming tablets for 14 days at increasing fre quencies of insertion by 125 prostitutes in Dakar, Senegal. The freque ncies of colposcopically diagnosed genital lesions were 5.0%, 11.8%, 2 7.8%, 49.7%, and 29.4% among menfegol recipients when tablets were use d once every other day or 1, 2, 4, or 8 times a day, respectively (P < .05), Among placebo recipients, frequencies were 11.1% and 23.5% when tablets were used <8 times daily and 8 times daily, respectively, The re was no association between subjective genital symptoms and the inci dence of colposcopically detected lesions, The high incidence of genit al lesions when menfegol foaming tablets were used more than once dail y suggests that their frequent use should not be recommended to preven t HIV transmission, In use at low frequency, the tablets' toxicity mig ht be balanced by anti-HIV properties, Safety studies on vaginal micro bicides should use objective methods, such as colposcopy, to assess th e incidence of lesions.