June 8, 2018
In the early 1990’s, I met a young woman named Gelete. I was working as part of an HIV prevention team along the Sudanese border of Ethiopia, and Gelete was one of our team’s most committed local volunteers working to implement our condom distribution program. Growing up, she dreamed of becoming a physician and attending […]
May 25, 2018
We are pleased to announce the launch of the IMPT Advisory Council – a group tasked with providing strategic guidance for the IMPT network, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and new stakeholder engagement. The formation of the Advisory Council comes on the cusp of a new era for the MPT field and the IMPT. […]
April 19, 2018
Yes! Yes! We soon may have a ring for our vaginas! I know what you are thinking; vaginal rings have been here since sliced bread. True, but what’s new about this one is that it will provide protection from HIV. Future rings will also include protection from unintended pregnancies and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), […]
April 3, 2018
Incorporating what women want into new sexual and reproductive health products is essential We at PATH make it our business to reflect on the elusive topic of ‘what women want’—in terms of protection options in their sexual and reproductive lives. Not surprisingly, the answer is complex. Women want and need different things at different stages […]
March 13, 2018
Leveraging its experience developing the first vaginal ring and long-acting product shown to help prevent HIV, the nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides is now developing a three-month vaginal ring designed to reduce women’s HIV risk and prevent unplanned pregnancy. This innovative multipurpose prevention technology would offer women a discreet option to protect their sexual and […]
February 26, 2018
The Road 6 years; 12 Million Dollars. When the founders of the Female Health Company (FHC) began conceptualizing the female condom in 1996, they wanted to create a product that would impact society as well as benefit investors. Little did they know that it would be a long road to develop a market for the […]
February 14, 2018
“It finally happened! We had sex! And how romantic that it was on Valentine’s Day, right?” Jen, one of the first friends I made in college, could barely contain herself as she shared this news while walking with me to the university café. She then hesitated, “The only thing is, he didn’t have a condom. […]
January 22, 2018
A critical function of the IMPT Secretariat is to serve as a knowledge manager for the MPT field. In this way, we collect and disseminate MPT-relevant resources, as well as synthesize data and stakeholder expertise into useful tools and frameworks in order to inform future work within the MPT field. While the IMPT Secretariat continues […]
December 21, 2017
At this point, we do not likely need to convince you that if you are aiming to develop and introduce an MPT product, incorporating end-user research into the process is a good idea, especially if you want it to have a positive public health impact. We at the IMPT Secretariat are delighted that end-user research […]
November 29, 2017
Since 2009, when MPTs officially became a “thing,” we have had a lot of conversations about MPTs and answered even more questions. We have spoken with friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, seatmates on plane flights – you name it. Until recently, not many people had heard of MPTs, and we spent a large part of these […]