IPM Lauds UK Government for Microbicide Support Statement by IPM CEO, Zeda Rosenberg

DFID Awards Grant of £24 million to the Microbicides Development Programme

Zeda Rosenberg, Sc.D., Chief Executive Officer of the International Partnership for Microbicides, issued the following statement upon the announcement of funding by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the Microbicides Development Programme at the Medical Research Council and Imperial College in London:

“The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) congratulates the staff of the Microbicides Development Programme (MDP) on this outstanding acknowledgement of their important work in the fight against HIV and AIDS and recognizes the government of the United Kingdom for their continued and farsighted support for microbicide development globally.

The acceleration of microbicide research and development is critical to combating HIV and saving millions of lives in developing countries. We are pleased that DFID will provide funding for this important trial, which will determine the effectiveness of the microbicide candidate PRO2000 gel in preventing sexual acquisition of HIV. Results from this trial could be available by the end of the decade.”

Microbicides are substances that kill or immobilize HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Under development for use as a vaginal gel or cream, or contained within a sponge or vaginal ring that would release the drug slowly over days or weeks, microbicides would give women a way to protect themselves from HIV, and could alter the fundamental imbalance that makes so many women susceptible to infection.

About IPM

IPM seeks to deliver a safe and effective microbicide for women in developing countries as soon as possible. The 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 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 and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank and the UNFPA.