Whos Who Cheat Sheet

About the Campaign #4

Who’s Who in the Microbicides Field: An Annotated Summary

This information was compiled by the Global Campaign for Microbicides to help microbicide advocates develop increased familiarity with the field. It is by no means a complete listing of all entities involved in microbicide advocacy and research. Omissions have been made for the sake of brevity and carry no implication about the entities omitted. No privately owned companies involved in microbicide research and development are included. For more information, please contact: [email protected])

ADVOCACY:

Alliance for Microbicide Development (www.microbicide.org)

The Alliance is a consortium working to advance the needs and interests of the people (scientists, small biotechs, non-profit research groups) doing the hard work of developing and testing candidate microbicides. It does this by monitoring developments in the field, facilitating information exchange, collaborating in key advocacy activities, and convening policy dialogue on critical scientific and research issues. Through its interactive web site, product development databases, weekly bulletins, quarterly journal, annual meetings, and other information channels, the Alliance is a comprehensive, neutral resource for discussion, problem-solving, and information for microbicide developers and the wider microbicide community.

Look here for:  Searchable database of products in the clinical trials pipeline (can request reports sorted by trial product, sponsors, mechanisms of action, locations of trials, trials completed, etc)  Summaries of pre-clinical and acceptability research completed and underway  Searchable compendium of abstracts of published microbicide research  Weekly news digest and Microbicides Quarterly (publications updating the field)

Global Campaign for Microbicides (www.global-campaign.org)

The Global Campaign for Microbicides is a unifying umbrella for activism to build support among policymakers, opinion leaders, and the general public for increased investment in microbicides and other user-controlled HIV and STI prevention options. Through advocacy, policy analysis, and social science research, the Campaign works to accelerate product development, facilitate widespread access and use, and protect the needs and interests of users, especially women.

With the shared commitment and collective efforts of over 200 endorsing groups worldwide, of whom 55 serve as active Campaign partners, the Global Campaign amplifies the voices of advocates by equipping them with a growing body of free resources and materials, supporting their efforts through sub-grants and offering guidance for effective awareness-raising, media cultivation

About the Campaign #4: Who’s Who page 2 of 3 and lobbying strategies. To date, we work with and support sites (affiliated coalitions hosted by local NGO partners) in Canada, Ghana, Ireland, India, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Uganda, the UK, and nine US cities. We also work with regional networks in Africa and South-East Asia.

Look here for:  Comprehensive information written in every-day language and searchable by topic on microbicides, how they are being developed and their potential utility to various populations  “Download centre” offering fact sheets, standardised presentations (slides and script), a 10 and 26 minute film, sample articles adaptable for newsletters and opinion column submissions, organising strategies, advocacy tools for community use and other materials – all available in a range of languages and free of charge (small charge for video to those who can pay)  Links to local and regional Global Campaign partners and advocacy groups around the world and listings of regional events and trainings  Notes on the Global Campaign’s on-going work to engage civil society in addressing difficult issues in the field such as clinical trial ethics, community involvement in scientific agenda- setting, assuring global access to new prevention options as they become available and the intersection of HIV risk and violence against women

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:

European Microbicides Project (www.iiq.cartuja.csic.es/carbohidratos/empro.htm) Funded by the European Commission, the European Microbicides Project (EMPRO) is a consortium of 35 principal investigators from institutions in Europe and Africa. Using a range of novel technologies and approaches, EMPRO is developing a pipeline of candidate microbicides with defined molecular targets that block the entry of HIV at mucosal sites, specifically the vagina. EMPRO represents a major new collaborative effort within Europe to gather together a critical mass of experts to address the HIV pandemic by developing novel microbicides.

Family Health International (www.fhi.org) FHI is among the largest international public health NGOs, managing research and field activities in more than 70 countries to meet the public health needs of some of the world's most vulnerable people. In addition to serving as the Coordinating and Operations Centre for the HIV Prevention Trials Network (see below), FHI is also conducting a range of non-HPTN microbicide trials. These include a trial of cellulose sulphate (in collaboration with the GMP) and a trial of Savvy™ in Nigeria.

The Global Microbicides Project (www.gmp.org) The Global Microbicides Project (GMP) is a project of CONRAD (Contraceptive Research and Development), a program established by the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, USA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The GMP was established with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help develop new microbicidal agents that specifically address the needs and perspectives of women. It is now

Global Campaign for Microbicides. March 2006. Reproduction encouraged. For info contact: [email protected] Updates available at: www.global-campaign.org/EU-download.htm About the Campaign #4: Who’s Who page 3 of 3 fielding clinical trials on two candidate microbicides; Acidform™ and Cellulose Sulfate (Ushercell™).

HIV Prevention Trials Network (www.hptn.org) The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) is a global collaborative clinical trials network that develops and tests the safety and efficacy of non-vaccine interventions designed to prevent the transmission of HIV. Established and funded by the US government, the HPTN supports the efforts of a network of expert scientists and investigators from more than two dozen international sites partnered with US-based institutions. The Microbicide Science Working Group of the HPTN is currently fielding seven clinical trials involving the late stage trials for BufferGel™, PRO 2000/5™ as well as safety trials of Cellulose Sulphate (Ushercell™) and Tenofovir (PMPA). The HPTN is also working with other public health organisations involved in microbicide research to ensure a uniform approach to protocol development and design.

International Partnership for Microbicides (www. ipm-microbicides.org) The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) is a not-for-profit, Public/Private Product Development Partnership (PDP), whose mission is to accelerate the discovery, development and accessibility of microbicides to prevent transmission of HIV. IPM identifies the most promising technologies and invests its resources to help develop them into usable products. Through its partnerships, IPM can accelerate and increase the efficiency of product development at every stage, including formulation and drug delivery research, clinical trials and manufacturing.

International Working Group on Microbicides The IWGM is a voluntary network seeking to ensure closer coordination of microbicide research programs and to establish a consensus on such issues as requirements for pre-clinical and clinical testing for microbicides and criteria for selecting promising leads for evaluation. It serves as a mechanism for the independent/neutral assessment of significant issues by some of the most experienced and knowledgeable individuals in the field. Contact Alan Stone, Chairman of the IWGM at [email protected]

Microbicide Development Programme (MDP) (www.mdp.mrc.ac.uk) The Microbicides Development Programme (MDP) is a five-year research collaboration sponsored by the UK Department of International Development and administered by the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit and Imperial College London. In collaboration with institutions in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, and Zambia, the MDP is fielding a trial of two concentrations of PRO-2000/5™. Additionally, the MDP is developing new products to enter safety studies in the UK and Africa.

Population Council (www.popcouncil.org) The Population Council is an international NGO with staff in eighteen developing countries, dedicated to improving the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to achieving a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. Its Contraceptive Development program has developed a candidate microbicide, Carraguard™, which is currently in Phase 3 effectiveness trials in South Africa.

Global Campaign for Microbicides. March 2006. Reproduction encouraged. For info contact: [email protected] Updates available at: www.global-campaign.org/EU-download.htm