December 1, 2018
Every four minutes, three young women will become infected with HIV—that’s close to 900,000 new infections a year. While HIV prevention research and drug development have progressed rapidly, there is still work to be done. This World AIDS Day, we reflect on our work to advance MPTs by asking the IMPT Advisory Council for their […]
November 20, 2018
Earlier this year, we wrote a post about Target Product Profiles (TPPs) and the generalized versions that the IMPT developed in 2015 for two MPT product types. As we argue in that post, a product that meets all clinical targets listed in a TPP will not necessarily correlate to its public health impact in the […]
November 5, 2018
We at Yaso Therapeutics are developing a vaginal gel, called Yaso-GEL, that uses a single proprietary drug to prevent pregnancy as well as genital herpes, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. The gel is mucoadhesive, non-irritating, relatively low-cost, and stable. Yaso-GEL aims to be an MPT that can fill the need for non-hormonal contraceptives and protect women from […]
October 17, 2018
Monoclonal antibodies are engineered proteins derived from a single parent cell and have been used in a diverse range of therapeutic applications due to their versatility and specificity. At Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc., we believe monoclonal antibodies are promising candidates for multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) when formulated as topical (e.g., films and rings) or injectable products. […]
October 16, 2018
HIV prevention has come to the forefront of youth activism and public health advocacy, as young people aged 15-24 account for 35% of new HIV infections worldwide. In fact, as we work to curb the HIV epidemic, they are the only age group to experience a recent increase in HIV infections. Young people are disproportionately […]
September 24, 2018
The field of MPTs that combine hormonal contraception (HC) and antiretroviral drugs for HIV prevention has made substantial progress in the past several years. There are two such MPTs in phase I clinical trials: 1) IPM’s dapivirine and levonorgestrel intravaginal ring and 2) CONRAD’s tenofovir and levonorgestrel intravaginal ring – with several other HC + […]
September 4, 2018
Today, on World Sexual Health Day, we at the IMPT reflect on how to work with partners to improve sexual health across the globe. There are many things that could be done, many different approaches, and many people we can work with towards this goal. Here, at the IMPT, we see multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) […]
August 1, 2018
It all started with the simple realization that women seeking protection against HIV also want to prevent unintended pregnancies. In general, they also prefer a combined method. Then followed the innovation challenge: Engineer a long-acting intravaginal ring that could release two chemically diverse drugs – one for HIV and herpes simplex virus (HSV) prevention, and one […]
July 18, 2018
One of the ongoing challenges in the MPT field is that, because MPT products are not yet commercially available (aside from male and female condoms), we do not have ‘real world’ data to inform product development, introduction, and investment decisions. Given this, MPT product developers, researchers, and funders must grapple with critical questions, such as: […]
June 28, 2018
As a healthcare provider, your perspective matters in the movement to advance the field of multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs). Physicians, nurses, community health workers, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers are critical “gatekeepers” of health products and information with their clients and in their communities, and thus they have a big impact on their patients’ health […]