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Imagine a world where women and girls
are empowered to protect themselves
from unintended pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections.
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CAMI Health/IMPT - Spring 2015 Newsletter
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Greetings from CAMI Health and thank you for taking a few minutes to learn about the recent progress of the Initiative for Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (IMPT)! Your support is critical to our efforts to advance global women's health and empowerment!
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MPT Workshop in Kenya: |
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SRH experts in Kenya gathered to strategize around MPT advocacy and messaging.
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Everlyne Ombati, an AVAC Fellow at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), recently convened a meeting of the IMPT Kenya Task Force and other sexual and reproductive health experts, aimed at strategizing ways to message and raise awareness around MPTs and microbicides. The group developed messaging aimed at avoiding stigma, and discussed ways to prevent false expectations around immediate product availability.
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Hormonal Contraceptives in MPTs Meeting Summary |
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In September 2014, CAMI Health convened a technical meeting on Hormonal Contraceptives (HC) in MPTs in collaboration with several partners. The meeting brought together experts in hormonal contraception and MPT developers to review relevant contraceptive research and discuss its application to the MPT development pipeline. The meeting highlighted a number of challenges and gaps critical to advancing work on combining HC and ARVs in MPTs. A meeting summary, which outlines these challenges and gaps, is now available on the CAMI Health website.
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MPT Product Prioritization Summary |
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The IMPT is developing tools to help support and guide MPT product development and investment decisions. These include an MPT product development and gap analysis exercise which is being led by the IMPT's Scientific Agenda Working Group (SAWG). The survey is designed to identify new recommendations and updates to the 2013 IMPT product prioritization findings by soliciting stakeholder perspectives on MPT product development priorities and gaps. A summary of the findings of the 2014 MPT Product Prioritization Survey is now posted on the CAMI Health website.
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CAMI Health in the Media
A letter from CAMI Health Executive Director Dr. Bethany Young Holt was recently published in the New York Times, calling for investment in MPT research and development. To mark World AIDS Day, Dr. Young Holt wrote op-eds for the Guardian and RH Reality Check, highlighting MPTs as a promising development in HIV prevention. We were thrilled to see MPTs featured on mainstream media outlets, and to have to the opportunity to address the broad spectrum of women's sexual and reproductive health needs.
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In the Foreground of the Field
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CAMI Health, as IMPT Secretariat, strives to keep Initiative stakeholders informed of the most recent MPT developments, research, and issues in the field. You should be receiving our monthly "MPTs: Articles from the Field," with journal articles and other resources distributed to over 1,000 IMPT supporters. See back issues.
IMPT members remain active IN the field - attending conferences, delivering presentations, and expanding stakeholder interest in the development of MPTs:
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Keeping on Track: IMPT Network of Experts Quarterly Update
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Each quarter, the IMPT hosts updates on the Initiative for our stakeholders around the world, otherwise known as our Network of Experts (NoE). The last update took place on 28 January and included over 30 participants from across the globe, including China, India, Kenya, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Highlights from this virtual convening include:
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Scientific Agenda Working Group (SAWG): The SAWG continues its work on the product prioritization process, the development of dosage-form specific TPPs, and the important and complex task of integrating end-user perspectives throughout MPT product development and commercialization. The group is currently working with commercialization and social-behavioral (CSB) experts to develop a listing of CSB elements that should be addressed when developing MPTs. The MPT Product Prioritization Summary is now available on the CAMI Health website and a summary of the dosage-form specific TPPs is coming soon.
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Communications and Advocacy Working Group (CAWG): As the release of the FACTS trial results approaches, the CAWG is working to build messaging around MPTs and the need for further investment in MPT R&D. In addition, AVAC will host a community dialogue on Wednesday, 25 February at CROI to hear a results summary and to talk about next steps regarding implications for R&D and possible product delivery. In other CAWG work, Heather Boonstra, Director of Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute, is working in collaboration with Bethany Young Holt to develop a policy brief on the investment case for MPTs.
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South Africa & Kenya Communications Advisory Groups: The Communications Advisory Groups in Kenya and South Africa have developed country-specific outreach materials to help raise awareness and support for MPTs. The MPT messaging framework and fact sheet for South Africa are available on the CAMI Health website and a PowerPoint presentation for Kenya is coming soon.
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India Regional Task Force: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) continues to undertake MPT advocacy work at conferences and other meetings. In mid-February, Nomita Chandhiok presented on MPTs at the annual meeting of the Indian Society for the Study of Reproduction and Fertility (ISSRF), covering epidemiology, social issues, the status of the field, and current research needs. MPTs will also be the topic of the September 2015 ISSRF Newsletter.
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Nomita Chandhiok of ICMR discusses the need for MPTs with sexual and reproductive health experts in India.
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California Women's Policy Summit - Women's Health Policy Fair
CAMI Health was one of 23 organizations invited to participate in the Women's Health Policy Fair at the 2015 California Women's Policy Summit on 14 January. The Health Policy Fair offered the opportunity for women's health organizations to showcase priority issues and critical programs in sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and more. With over 500 conference participants, CAMI Health's Bethany Young Holt and Beverley Newman spoke to legislators, legislative staffers, NGO directors, and women's health advocates about the emerging field of MPTs. The MPT concept resonated among many of the conference attendees, and we were thrilled to obtain a long list of individuals interested in getting engaged in the IMPT.
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Annual CAMI Health Staff Gathering |
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CAMI Health staff and consultants discuss long-term goals for the MPT field.
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In December, CAMI Health Staff gathered with some of our key consultants to strategize and plan activities for 2015. Laura Vyda, CAMI Health Senior Communications Advisor, and Anke Hemmerling, CAMI Health Scientific Advisor, joined us in the CAMI Health office, and Joe Romano, CAMI Health Senior Scientific Advisor, joined via Skype. During the meeting, the group discussed long-term goals for CAMI Health, funder engagement, and creating messaging around the human rights context of MPTs.
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Funding Update
We are pleased to announce that NIH Office of AIDS Research will be supporting some of CAMI Health's work to advance the MPT scientific agenda, including a feasibility assessment for expansion of the MPT product pipeline database into new geographical areas. The goal is to create a resource that tracks MPT research in regions outside current priority regions including China and Russia to avoid duplication of efforts and maximize opportunities for collaboration.
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Coming this Spring/Summer
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CAMI Health Annual Report
CAMI Health is in the process of developing our first annual report. The report will highlight our achievements over the past year, and will provide an overview of the Initiative's key accomplishments as it enters its sixth year. Stay tuned for more details!
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Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Webinar on MPTs, Date TBD.
CAMI Health, in collaboration with the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and NIH Office of AIDS Research is in the process of planning a live webinar aimed at engaging with key LAC-based stakeholders working in sexual and reproductive health. The webinar will give an overview of potential MPTs, the region-specific epidemiological need for MPTs, and key social and human rights concerns relevant to MPT introduction in the LAC region. We are hopeful that this webinar will be a starting place for engaging more LAC stakeholders in the IMPT and will raise awareness around these lifesaving technologies. More details and dates are forthcoming.
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Round Table on Commercialization and Social-Behavioral Issues for MPTs, 17 March; Bethesda, MD
In conjunction with the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) Annual Meeting in March, CAMI Health will be convening a Round Table discussion on the commercialization and social-behavioral (CSB) issues of MPTs. The meeting will focus on laying out priorities and next steps for the IMPT’s CSB framework. More details are forthcoming.
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Technical Meeting on Hormonal Contraceptives in MPTs, Date and location TBD
As a follow up to the technical meeting on Hormonal Contraceptives (HC) in MPTs held in September 2014, CAMI Health will be convening a small technical meeting in conjunction with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Meeting. The meeting objective is to formulate next steps in addressing the research gaps that were identified at the September meeting. More details are forthcoming.
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Technical Meeting on Clinical Trial Challenges, Date TBD; Washington, D.C.
As the MPT field grows, there is increasing interest in clinical trial issues and challenges, such as the potential use and limitations of bioequivalence bridging strategies and how they may (or may not) be relevant to MPT clinical evaluations. CAMI Health will be convening a technical meeting on bioequivalence and other clinical trial issues in the early summer, where we will identify challenges and risks that researchers and funders need to consider for MPT product development. More details are forthcoming.
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ISSTDR Session on MPTs, 13-16 September; Brisbane, Australia
We are excited to announce that a session on STI MPTs has been accepted as part of the program at the 21st meeting of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) in Brisbane, Australia. The session will be co-chaired by Craig Cohen (UCSF), who serves as clinical chair for the conference, Manjulaa Narasimhan (World Health Organization), and Bethany Young Holt (CAMI Health). We hope to highlight STI MPT-focused research at the conference and encourage our IMPT partners to submit abstracts for oral or poster presentations. Abstracts are due on 13 April.
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If you are aware of other conferences where MPTs will be highlighted or where colleagues can submit abstracts, please write to us with the details.
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Join the IMPT Network Experts (NoE)
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As the IMPT enters its sixth year, we are excited by the growth and diversity of the Network of Experts. If you work in reproductive health, product development, or another related field, join the IMPT Network of Experts and help make MPTs a reality. Membership to the Network of Experts is free of charge, and offers you the opportunity to access up-to-date resources and news, attend critical convenings and webinars, and contribute to the collective expertise of the MPT field.
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Thanks for your Continued Support!
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Write to us with any feedback or suggestions to improve our quarterly newsletter.
Best,
CAMI Health Staff
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Join us to make MPTs a life-saving reality-- your contributions will help advance
MPT development and increase MPT support-- and it is tax deductible.
Visit http://www.cami-health.org/support
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