Patent ID: 7192607

Claim:
A method of treating or reducing infection by infectious agent capable of causing a sexually transmitted disease or reducing the risk of pregnancy by providing a patient's skin or mucosa with a physical barrier and a chemical barrier against said infectious agent or against a sperm, the method comprising applying to said patient's skin or mucosa, a topical formulation consisting essentially of (a) a poloxamer at a concentration of about 15% to 35% (w/w), (b) a buffer solution and (c) an effective amount of an agent capable of disrupting membrane or protein conformation of said infectious agent or sperm said agent being selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene fatty acid-comprising detergent, guanidine, lauroyl sarcosine and sodium lauryl sulfate, whereby, when applied to the surface of a person's skin or mucosa, the composition forms a protective semi-solid layer on the skin or mucosa, said semi-solid layer being resistant to elution by aqueous flow.