International Partnership for Microbicides
IPM is a non-profit product development partnership (PDP), funded by the Gates Foundation and established in 2002 to prevent HIV transmission by accelerating the development and availability of a safe and effective microbicide for use by women in developing countries. IPM is committed to providing women with an affordable and self-initiated HIV- prevention strategy to reduce the cycle of infection, which has led to the deaths of more than 25 million people worldwide and orphaned more than 15 million children since 1981. Like the promise of a future AIDS vaccine, microbicides represent an essential component of an integrated and comprehensive global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. IPM and Auritec are partnering to develop and manufacture intravaginal microbicide rings that release the anti-retrovirals tenofovir and TMC 120.