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Once microbicides are licensed, countries will need to make decisions on if, when and how to introduce them into their HIV prevention programs. IPM supports research to develop an evidence base that will assist policy-makers and other stakeholders at the country level, as well as donors and international agencies, in making informed decisions about supporting microbicide introduction.
Examples of IPM’s work in this area are described below:
IPM is working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to mathematically model scenarios for introducing microbicides at the community level in India, South Africa and Tanzania. These models will be used to assist policy-makers explore the impact of microbicide introduction in their communities. Initial findings from these studies were presented at the Microbicides 2008 conference in February 2008.
Understanding the vaginal practices (sexual or hygiene-related) that women engage in and the motivations behind them may be important to informing microbicide design and developing programs to support their future use.
In 2007, IPM contributed funding to studies led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to collect qualitative and quantitative data about vaginal practices and their relationship to gender and sexuality in Mozambique and South Africa. The studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals and will also be published in the form of country reports and a comparative monograph. This is part of a larger study that also included Thailand and Indonesia.
The contraceptive field has a long and rich history in introducing new products for women in developing country settings. In order to harness this experience to inform microbicide access planning, IPM commissioned a review of the history of contraceptive use in developing countries in 2006.
The review examines three health technologies (intra-uterine devices, implant contraception and female condoms) to identify lessons for future microbicide introduction. Additionally, four service delivery channels (public sector, civil society, social marketing and private sector) are discussed.
View or download Planning for Microbicide Access in Developing Countries: Lessons from the Introduction of Contraceptive Technologies (pdf)
With funding from the European Community, IPM commissioned a series of profiles that assessed the infrastructural, socio-cultural and economic landscape in India, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia and its relevance to microbicide introduction. The profiles compile data on various factors including: national policy and decision-making processes; demography and epidemiology; existing HIV and sexual and reproductive health services; regulatory approval and licensing processes; local manufacturing capacity; and procurement and financing capacity and procedures. These profiles will provide a base of information as the microbicide field begins to plan for product introduction.
View Country Profiles
IPM served as a member of the Global Health Forecasting Group, convened by the Center for Global Development in 2006. A report by the working group highlights the need to improve demand forecasting for health commodities used by developing countries as a means to support access to existing medicines and the development and introduction of new health technologies.
View or download the brief or the full report
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