Senate boosts HIV
microbicide funding

The U.S. Senate recently voted to significantly boost spending on HIV microbicide research, increasing spending to $42 million in fiscal 2006, up from $30 million this year. The House recently voted to increase microbicide spending to $36 million. Most of the money will go to USAID for disbursement to nongovernmental organizations conducting microbicide trials, with about $4 million of the increase slated for the International Partnership for Microbicides. USAID is currently funding four final Phase III clinical trials of microbicide products.