Brazil's scientists have developed a new-type anti-HIV drug, which could possibly be put on the market in seven years, reported Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper on Monday.

The drug was extracted from a type of algae found on the Brazilian coast, said immunologist Luiz Castello Branco, coordinator of the research project.

The first-phase testing shows that the gel is 95 percent efficient in blocking the sexual transmission of HIV, he added.

Researches conducted in Africa revealed that drugs with 30 percent efficiency could help reduce HIV/AIDS cases by up to 40 percent.

Branco said that a second round of tests will be conducted on rodents and live cells from the cervix in February.

And if successful, tests on human beings will start in a few months, the immunologist said.

Editor: Yan