HIV protection without a condom?

Microbicides—topical products that allow women to protect themselves against HIV—could help change the face of the AIDS pandemic. For more than a decade, HIV has quietly but steadily claimed women’s lives; today, more than 50 percent of new HIV infections occur among women. Women are more vulnerable to HIV infection than men, and often have less power to protect themselves against it. A successful microbicide would allow women in developing countries to sidestep the sometimes impossible negotiations associated with condom use. It would give them a new, woman-controlled tool for preventing HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections.

As a unifying force for more than 55 partner groups and 200 endorsing organizations around the world, the Global Campaign for Microbicides is increasing knowledge about and mobilizing support for microbicides. In 2004, the Global Campaign, based at PATH, contributed to a groundbreaking milestone: a tripling of US federal support for microbicide research in 2005.

Together, the Global Campaign and its partners are moving microbicides from research to reality.

Increasing institutional support

Large pharmaceutical companies are often reluctant to invest in products for which the market is unproven. In the absence of their support, progress in microbicide research depends on mobilizing political will for public investment in research and drawing local organizations into the fray.

In the United States and Canada, the Global Campaign has developed a long-term, constituent-based legislative strategy that helped achieve significant funding increases. A similar strategy is being modeled by Global Campaign Europe, which has developed active campaign affiliates in five countries in the last two years. In Africa, the Global Campaign collaborates with clinical trial sites to increase community participation and with nongovernmental organizations to develop national strategies to increase prevention options for women. Throughout Asia, Global Campaign partners are moving toward the development of a similar regional network.

Engaging global and local communities

Even if an effective microbicide were ready tomorrow, the technology alone would not be enough to solve the AIDS pandemic. Tools depend on the hands that use them. Global Campaign materials reach people at all levels—from policy briefs that alert national-level decision-makers to the high rate of HIV infection among women and the impact microbicides could have, to media outreach that raises awareness among families and individuals. Electronic newsletters and the Global Campaign website keep microbicide advocates up to date, and workshops at international and national events ensure that professionals in relevant fields stay on the cutting edge.

Worth a thousand words

The Global Campaign has created two compelling tools to educate the public and policymakers worldwide about the nature of women’s HIV prevention needs. Giving Women Power Over AIDS, an exhibit that has toured the United States and will tour Canada and European in 2006, features an award-winning photo essay that tells the story of a young Zimbabwean girl who loses her mother to AIDS. Her story highlights the limited HIV prevention options available to young women and the impact that microbicides could have. In Women’s Hands is a compelling film that highlights the need for microbicides and reports on progress to date. Filmed in three countries, the video was launched on World AIDS Day in more than 30 locations around the globe.

How much closer?

The collective efforts of the Global Campaign’s partners and sites are raising the profile of microbicides and increasing funding for research. Advocates are exchanging more and more information through journals, conferences, and discussions both online and off. A new commitment to information and advocacy on local levels is reflected in the development of regional advocacy groups. In addition to the threefold increase in US funding, six European governments have made solid commitments to microbicide funding, and, in 2004, the Canadian government allocated $15 million to microbicide research.

The Global Campaign for Microbicides looks forward to expanded collaboration with partners, funders, and communities around the world—collaboration that will make the possibility of microbicides a reality.

Photo: Frank Herholdt/Microbicides Development Programme.