IPM Welcomes New Regulatory Affairs Executive Vice President Patricia R. Mayer
New EVP to lead regulatory submission for IPM’s dapivirine vaginal ring for HIV prevention
SILVER SPRING, Md. (June 29, 2016) — The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) announced today that Patricia R. Mayer has been appointed Executive Vice President (EVP) of Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Mayer arrives at a critical period for IPM, a nonprofit working to develop HIV prevention products for women and make them available in countries hardest hit by the epidemic.
As EVP, Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Mayer will lead organizational efforts to obtain regulatory approvals for IPM’s monthly dapivirine vaginal ring, which was recently found to safely help reduce the risk of HIV in women in two Phase III clinical trials. Dr. Mayer will also provide strategic guidance to IPM staff and partners to ensure research and development and manufacturing programs continue to align with regulatory best practices and requirements.
“I am delighted to be joining IPM in this important role as the organization begins a new chapter in advancing urgently needed products for women’s sexual and reproductive health,” said Dr. Mayer.
Dr. Mayer brings more than 17 years’ experience managing and developing regulatory strategies for pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Europe. Most recently, she served as vice president of regulatory affairs at Perosphere Inc., where she oversaw regulatory strategies for drug and device development and established fully compliant regulatory operations. She previously held senior leadership positions managing regulatory portfolios at MannKind Corporation, Purdue Pharma L.P., Berlex Laboratories, Inc. and Schering AG, Germany. Dr. Mayer holds an MSc in animal physiology and a PhD in biology from the University of Tuebingen in Germany.
“Given the persistently high rates of HIV infection among women, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, IPM is doing everything we can to realize the potential of the dapivirine ring,” said Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of IPM. “We are fortunate to add Patricia to the team to provide the leadership and experience needed to guide the ring and other future effective microbicides through the regulatory approval process and closer to reaching the women who could benefit from them.”
IPM’s monthly HIV prevention ring provides sustained release of the antiretroviral (ARV) drug dapivirine for which IPM holds an exclusive worldwide license from Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. To help increase efficacy and meet women’s varying needs, next-generation products in IPM’s pipeline include a three-month dapivirine-only ring as well as a three-month dapivirine-contraceptive ring to prevent both HIV and unintended pregnancy. IPM is also developing combination products that contain multiple novel ARVs to leverage the potency of different drugs and reduce the chance of acquiring drug-resistant virus over time.
IPM’s work is possible through generous support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs, Irish Aid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
About IPM: IPM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing new HIV prevention tools and other sexual and reproductive health technologies for women, and making them available in developing countries. IPM has offices in the United States and South Africa. Please visit www.IPMglobal.org.
Contact: Holly Seltzer, hseltzer@IPMglobal.org, +1.301.608.4277