Microbicide for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases using a pharmaceutical excipient.

Preferred microbicides are expected to inactivate most sexually transmitted viral and nonviral pathogens, including HIV-1, without affecting lactobacilli, components of the natural defense system against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), be widely available, be inexpensive, and have an established safety record for human use. We show here that cellulose acetate phthalate [C-A-P enteric coating polymer (Eastman)], a compound used for coating of enteric tablets, meets all these criteria.