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Janet G. Vail, MPH, MBA, Jessica A. Cohen, MHS and Kimberly L. Kelly, MPA

The authors are with the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, Seattle, Wash.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Kimberly L. Kelly, MPA, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, 1455 NW Leary Way, Seattle, WA 98107 (e-mail: kkelly{at}path.org).

With more than 60 potential microbicides being assessed in preclinical or clinical trials, most attention has been centered on products intended for topical application, with much less research conducted on the applicators that will be used to deliver the microbicides. However, applicator design relates to safety, efficacy, and acceptability.

As the foundation for a more systematic approach to evaluating and possibly improving designs for topical microbicide applicators, we conducted a literature review and a series of interviews with microbicide developers, trial investigators, and trial sponsors. Our findings indicate that issues concerning applicator safety, reuse, and cost warrant further investigation.