July 21, 2022—The Population Council, a global nonprofit research organization and developer of sexual and reproductive health pharmaceuticals, and the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a nonprofit organization that develops HIV prevention technologies for women, are pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement for the Population Council to acquire IPM’s dapivirine vaginal ring pipeline and other assets. The organizations will work toward completing the transaction over the next two months, ensuring that all projects continue uninterrupted. Additional details will be announced when the process is complete.
The monthly dapivirine ring is the first long-acting technology approved for HIV prevention and the first product of its kind. Made of flexible silicone, the product releases an antiretroviral drug called dapivirine over the course of one month. Women can insert and replace the ring themselves. IPM designed the ring to offer women a discreet and long-acting HIV prevention choice that they can control.
“IPM’s commitment to women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, and expertise in product development, align seamlessly with the Population Council’s mission. This acquisition will help us achieve our shared vision of ensuring women have affordable HIV prevention choices they can use on their own terms, especially in countries where the need is greatest,” said Dr. Zeda F. Rosenberg, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IPM. “In 2002, IPM set out to advance the field of microbicides, and we are extremely proud that we have succeeded in putting the first long-acting HIV prevention technology on the market. The monthly ring and follow-on products will have a great home and exciting future at the Population Council.”
Upon the transaction’s completion, the Population Council will add three IPM technologies to its product line:
- The monthly dapivirine ring, which has recently been approved in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and several other countries in eastern and southern Africa, with other regulatory reviews in those regions underway. In countries where the dapivirine ring has not yet been approved, the ring is considered an investigational product.
- Two products that are in clinical development: a three-month dapivirine ring that could reduce annual costs and provide additional convenience to women, and a three-month dapivirine–contraceptive ring that would give women greater choice and control over their sexual and reproductive health needs.
Upon the transaction’s completion, IPM will wind down its headquarters office in the US and close its doors, proud of its accomplishments over the past 20 years and confident in the Population Council’s commitment and capacity to carry IPM’s mission and products forward.
“I want to congratulate Dr. Rosenberg on her incredible achievement in founding IPM and making it into the global player that it is today. IPM is a leader in microbicide development and has been an important and valued collaborator over many years,” said Julia Bunting, President of the Population Council. “We’re excited that this acquisition will accelerate the Population Council’s goal of ensuring sexual and reproductive health, rights, and choices and advance our journey to be the leading innovator of high quality sexual and reproductive health products for the global market.”
About the International Partnership for Microbicides
The International Partnership for Microbicides has been dedicated to developing HIV prevention products and other sexual and reproductive health technologies for women, and making them available and accessible where they are urgently needed.
About the Population Council
The Population Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research on critical health and development issues. We deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world.