The International Partnership for Microbicides recently briefed representatives of almost 100 countries at the United Nations on the state of microbicide research.
The May 27 briefing took place in advance of the U.N. General Assembly's High-level Meeting on AIDS, which will convene June 10-11 in New York.
The 90-minute event was a joint activity of IPM, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), UNAIDS and the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition. IPM's chief executive officer, Zeda Rosenberg, spoke about progress made in microbicide research — and about the promise microbicides hold for women in the developing world. Seth Berkley, IAVI's chief executive officer, addressed the importance of continued vaccine research, while representatives of Norway, Rwanda and Tanzania offered support for sustained research into new HIV prevention technologies.
"This was an important event for increasing understanding of our work among this critical audience," says Esther Benjamin, IPM's executive director for resource development. "The Permanent Mission representatives who attended were engaged, expressed genuine interest in this work, and asked thoughtful questions."
Countries in attendance reflected the complete geopolitical spectrum, ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The event was co-chaired by the Permanent Missions to the U.N. of India and the Netherlands. |
Dr. Rosenberg addressing the group |
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Bertil Lindblad, a director of UNAIDS in New York (L), looks on as Frank Majoor, the Netherlands’ ambassador to the U.N., speaks |
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Seth Berkley,
CEO of IAVI |
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Minister Plenipotentiary Joyce Kafanabo of Tanzania with Vimala Raghavendran of IPM’s policy team |
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The International Partnership for Microbicides recently presented its microbicide development plans to two Austrian parliamentarians and a representative from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) in Vienna. The May 20, 2008, event was arranged with help from IPM's German partner, the German Foundation for World Population (DSW). From L-R: Dr. Brigitte Holzner of ADS; Petra Bayr, Member of Parliament (SPÖ), Chair of Parliamentary Group on Reproductive Health; Renate Baehr of DSW; Maria Grander, MP (ÖVP); Katharina Scheffler of DSW; and Dr. Thomas Mertenskoetter, IPM's executive director of external relations for Europe. (Photo: Gottfried Mernyi, EAWM) |
In a boost to HIV prevention research, Merck & Co., Inc., has agreed to provide a royalty-free license to the non-profit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to develop a novel antiretroviral compound for use as a potential vaginal microbicide.
The compound, called L’644, is a member of a class of antiretroviral molecules known as gp41 fusion inhibitors, which inhibit HIV infection by preventing the virus from fusing with the surface of target cells, an early step in the HIV infection process, potentially representing a novel way to block infection.
This announcement follows a similar agreement with Merck that granted IPM a royalty-free license in 2005 to develop another compound, L’167/CMPD167, which belongs to the class of molecules known as CCR5 blockers.
Read the press release: English | French | Spanish |
Opening remarks encompassed the introduction of the two new members of the Committee (Mr. Ben Chang, and Dr. Jens van Roey) and an overview of IPM’s financial and staff resources. The stated purpose of the meeting was to review and address IPM’s activities in four areas: Phase III product development, Phase III clinical, other pipeline development activity and market research.
Download the summary: English |
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March 1, 2008 — Last week at the Microbicides 2008 Conference in New Delhi, India, researchers from the International Partnership for Microbicides presented on their efforts to develop safe, effective, female-controlled HIV prevention options and make them accessible to women in developing countries.
Microbicides 2008 is a biennial, international conference that brings together researchers, advocates, and policy-makers from across the globe working to advance the development of microbicides – topical products that have the potential to reduce sexual transmission of HIV. The conference was held at the Hotel Ashok, Feb. 24-27. Presentations by IPM staff, Scientific Advisory Board members, and directors focused on topics ranging from clinical trial design to microbicide introduction and access.
IPM Presentations Included:
Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of IPM, participating in a panel discussion at Microbicides 2008
Photo by Brad Tytel
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Sunday, Feb. 24
- ARVs in Microbicides Pipeline and Status of Testing – Joe Romano, PhD
- Industrializing Microbicides Symposium: Summary of Toxicology/Formulation Workshop – Jeremy Nuttall, MSc
Monday, Feb. 25
- Alternative Study Designs – Zeda Rosenberg, ScD
- Pharmacokinetic Assessment of an Anti-HIV Dapivirine Vaginal Microbicide Gel (GEL-002) – Annalene Nel, MD, PhD
- Satellite Symposium: New Dosage Forms for Microbicides – Facilitated by Joe Romano, PhD
- Clinical Safety and Tolerability Assessment of an Anti-HIV Dapivirine Vaginal Microbicide Gel (Gel-002) – Shanique Smythe
Anita Garg and her poster titled 2007 Worldwide Manufacturing Capabilities Survey
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Tuesday, Feb. 26
- Panel Discussion: Criteria to Enable Rational Microbicide Selection for Clinical Efficacy Testing – Facilitated by Robin Shattock, MD; with Joe Romano, PhD
- Roundtable: Microbicides and HIV+ Women – Chaired by Anandi Yuvaraj
- Symposium: Development of Combinations – Co-chaired by Thomas Mertensköetter, MD
- Planning for Introduction and Access – Al Profy, PhD; Thomas Mertensköetter, MD; Youssef Tawfik, MD
Wednesday, Feb. 27
- The Use of Oligonucloeotide Based Microarray Data From Human Cervical and Vaginal Epithelial Cell Lines as a Model for Characterizing the Potential Local Toxicity of Candidate Microbicides – Jeremy Nuttall, MSc
- Symposium: Developments of combination – ARVs and delivery technologies – Anita Garg
Poster Presentations
- Building Effective Community Partnerships in Microbicides Research: A Gender Perspective with a Global Focus – Andrew Lambert
- In-Vitro Release Rate Testing (IVRT) as a Performance Test for Dapivirine (TMC-120) Vaginal Gels – Joe Romano, PhD
- Proceedings from 2007 Microbicide Access Forum – Youssef Tawfik, MD
- Using Dose Reduction Capability and the Rheological Flexibility of Micellar Nanoparticle-based Formulations to Deliver Microbicides –
Joe Romano, PhD
- A Vaginal Gel Product Attribute Study: Market Research in the Developing World to Support Microbicide Development – Karen Douville
- Worldwide Manufacturing Capabilities Survey 2007 – Anita Garg, MSc
For more information about the conference, click here: http://www.microbicides2008.com/invitation.asp
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The Population Council, an international not-for-profit organization that conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research, has now released final results from its Phase III efficacy trial of Carraguard, a vaginal gel being tested to prevent HIV transmission to women during sex. Results from the three-year trial, conducted at three clinical research centers in South Africa, show that while Carraguard had a strong safety profile, it did not prevent HIV infection.
Read the press statement: English | French | Spanish |
Expanding the pipeline of HIV prevention tools in development, the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) today announced that Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) has agreed to give IPM a royalty-free license to maraviroc, its newly-approved HIV treatment, as a microbicide for the prevention of HIV infection. Maraviroc, sold under the trade name Selzentry™/Celsentri®, is one of a new class of antiretroviral drugs known as CCR5 blockers, which works to prevent HIV infection by preventing the virus from gaining entry into target cells. Read the press release: English | French |
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