October 19, 2022—The Population Council and Imres BV today announced an agreement to supply and distribute the monthly dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR), the first long-acting technology approved for HIV prevention in women and the first product of its kind.
This agreement brings together the complementary research and distribution expertise of both organizations to advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and choices for individuals in underserved countries.
The monthly DVR received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency and has been approved by national medicines regulatory authorities in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and several other countries in eastern and southern Africa. A next phase of regulatory reviews is underway in additional countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Imres adds supply and logistics capabilities to ensure the DVR can be distributed efficiently to meet demand. Imres will work directly with the DVR’s manufacturer, Sever Pharma Solutions, and with public sector and private sector buyers to provide this new option for women who need it most urgently.
The Population Council is the registration holder for the product. The DVR is one of the key assets recently acquired by the Population Council from the International Partnership for Microbicides.
“Our agreement with Imres will facilitate access to this life-saving HIV prevention product for thousands of women who need more options to manage their sexual and reproductive health,” said Jim Sailer, Executive Director of the Center for Biomedical Research at the Population Council.
About the Population Council
The Population Council transforms global thinking on critical health and development issues—from ensuring sexual and reproductive health, rights, and choices to empowering adolescents, achieving gender equality and equity, and pursuing justice in the face of climate change. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research, we work with our partners to generate ideas, produce evidence, and design solutions to improve the lives of underserved populations around the world. Established in 1952, the Population Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.
About Imres BV
For more than 40 years, Imres has provided global access to quality-controlled medicines and medical products to more than 250 organizations serving the public sector market to support people living in low- and middle-income countries. We are committed to working closely with our partners every step of the way, and to understand their specific needs and particular challenges in order to provide customized solutions that have real, global impact. As an operating company within the Imperial Logistics Group, Imres has over 130 team members, represented in The Netherlands, UAE and India.