African Leaders Meet International Health Officials to Discuss Microbicides to Protect Women from HIV

Maputo, Mozambique, 30 May 2005 – African leaders including Mozambican Minister of Health Dr. Paulo Ivo Garrido and Graça Machel, President of the Foundation for Community Development in Mozambique, met today with international health leaders to discuss ongoing activities to develop a microbicide to protect women from HIV infection. Women now make up more than three quarters of HIV-infected young people in Africa, and the African AIDS epidemic is rapidly becoming feminized.

“The world needs to act now to commit the resources and political will to scale up research and development for microbicides,” said Graça Machel, the former first lady of Mozambique. “Every year the infections mount, and millions more lives are lost to this epidemic. The battle against HIV/AIDS can be won, but we must invest in the tools we need to accomplish this goal.”

Microbicides are products such as a topical creams, gels, or vaginal rings that would reduce the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse. Women are biologically more vulnerable to HIV infection, and in many societies they are often powerless to abstain from sex or insist on condom use, even with their husbands. A female-initiated microbicide would give women the power to protect themselves from HIV infection. Five microbicide candidates have entered or are about to enter large-scale efficacy trials this year in Africa, involving more than 30,000 participants across the continent, and in India.

“New prevention technologies, such as vaccines and microbicides, are essential in order to turn the tide against HIV in Mozambique,” said Minister of Health Dr. Paulo Ivo Garrido. “More than 1.3 million people in Mozambique are already living with HIV. We are working closely with the international community to help inform people about microbicides and encourage new ways to prevent the spread of HIV.”

The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a major player in microbicide development, will begin conducting safety trials of promising microbicide candidates in Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Africa this summer. IPM Chief Executive Officer Dr. Zeda Rosenberg came to the meeting in Maputo to inform community, international organizations, donors, researchers and NGO leaders about microbicides and build support so that a microbicide can be delivered as quickly as possible when it is available.

“Microbicides, which could be ready in 5-7 years, offer immediate hope to the growing number of women who are vulnerable to HIV,” said Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, IPM CEO. “HIV infection rates among women have risen dramatically in recent years. Developing an effective microbicide whose use could be initiated by women is a crucial step in combating the AIDS epidemic.”

About IPM

IPM seeks to deliver a safe and effective microbicide for women in developing countries as soon as possible. IPM identifies the most promising technologies and invests its resources to help develop them into usable products. Given current scientific advancements and the identification of a number of potential microbicidal agents, an effective microbicide could be developed by the end of the decade. IPM is a co-convener of UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. IPM is a global organization led by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, who is a Harvard-trained microbiologist and public health advocate.

Donors to IPM include the governments of Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States as well as the European Commission, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank and the United Nations.