New York, NY (October 4, 2022)—The Population Council, a global nonprofit research organization and developer of sexual and reproductive health pharmaceuticals, announced the completion of an asset purchase agreement between the Council and the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a nonprofit organization that develops HIV prevention technologies.
IPM has transferred ownership of its intellectual property, grant agreements, and other assets. The Council takes on product development and clinical activities as well as introduction and access activities, including national and community engagement and advocacy.
The Population Council adds three IPM technologies to its product line:
- The monthly dapivirine vaginal ring, 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. Users can insert and replace the ring themselves. The ring has 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, and a three-month dapivirine–contraceptive ring that would expand contraceptive choice and control to meet people’s sexual and reproductive health needs.
With the transfer completed, IPM will close its headquarters office in the United States and wind down its operations. Several IPM staff members have joined the Population Council and take senior roles at the Council’s Center for Biomedical Research. The IPM South Africa office, an independent affiliate, becomes an affiliate of the Population Council, with current staff retained, adding to the Council’s global network of international offices and affiliate organizations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
“IPM has been a global leader in the microbicide field for over 20 years. This type of acquisition is rare in the nonprofit field, and we are delighted that our organizations were able to work together so effectively to make it happen,” said Julia Bunting, President of the Population Council. “With the transfer now complete, we are excited to expand our product portfolio for the global market and to ensure sexual and reproductive health, rights, and choices.”