Landscape report launched on novel technologies for the prevention of HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy

Geneva – Emerging technologies that can prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies through a single administration method have the potential to respond better to user preferences, simplify service delivery, alleviate stigma, and reduce health risks. Currently, over two dozen of these tools, called multipurpose prevention technologies, are in development, demonstrating the opportunity to accelerate health impact and help achieve global health targets, according to a new landscape report jointly launched today by Unitaid, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the Initiative for Multipurpose Prevention Technologies.

From 2018 to 2020, the number of new HIV infections per year showed limited decrease. Women and girls are at heightened risk of infection in many parts of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where they made up 63% of all new infections in 2020. In addition, more than 200 million women in low- and middle-income countries who want to avoid pregnancy do not have access to modern methods of contraception.

Innovations that better address user preferences are critical to respond to these challenges. Globally, the preference for interventions that respond to several needs versus single indication products prevails across populations and geographies. The preference for multipurpose products even appears to outweigh preference for a particular delivery type, such as intravaginal rings, gels, implants, and oral pills. However, preferences for specific attributes vary, highlighting the importance of advancing a robust pipeline that offers a range of choices.

The landscape report provides an overview of the current novel technologies in development and assesses their relevance and potential in low- and middle-income countries. While the pipeline is rich, the report calls out the need to involve key populations early in the design, introduction and scale-up of new products and proactively address potential market barriers. These considerations, as well as plans for adoption, manufacturing capacity, a broad supply base and an effective introduction strategy are crucial to developing solutions that are accessible, affordable, and acceptable and truly respond to people’s needs.

  • Access the multipurpose prevention technologies landscape here

Media contact

For more information and media requests:

Maggie Zander

Communications officer

Mobile: +41 79 593 17 74

Email: zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Multipurpose prevention technologies: Technology landscape and potential for low- and middle-income countries

Unitaid launches Climate Action Roadmap as UN Climate Change Conference urges action

Unitaid Secretariat to be carbon neutral by 2022

 

Geneva, 11 November 2021 – In response to growing evidence on the detrimental impact of climate change on people’s health, global health agency Unitaid has committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the goals set by the Paris Agreement.

Following its Climate Action Roadmap, launched today, Unitaid will reduce carbon emissions of the Secretariat by 50% by 2030 and will offset its carbon footprint to effectively achieve net-zero emissions from 2022.

This announcement comes as countries committed to climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) this week, recognizing the urgent need to confront the mounting health risks posed by global warming.

Initial actions will focus on tackling the largest sources of emissions at the Secretariat level. These include: decarbonizing procurements through net-zero and environmental pledges; reducing travel and prioritizing green modes of transportation; and closing its emissions gaps through high-quality certified carbon offset programs.

Looking to the future, Unitaid will push for climate solutions that reach beyond its organizational boundaries to reduce the carbon emissions of its investments and of the health products and innovations it catalyzes. These priorities will be reflected in Unitaid’s upcoming 2022-2026 strategy.

The Climate Action Roadmap sets out clear pathways to achieving these reductions in emissions across Unitaid’s operations. It was developed following a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment of Unitaid’s Secretariat and investment portfolio to establish a robust baseline of carbon emissions, conducted with support from independent evaluator Gaia.

Unitaid is proud to lead this effort with grant implementers, health agencies and other partners to address unprecedented challenges caused by climate change and contribute to an environmentally responsible and sustainable global health response.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

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Unitaid

Maggie Zander

Communications officer

Mobile: +41 79 593 17 74

Email: zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid 2017-2021 Strategy Review – Volume 1: Main report

Unitaid 2017-2021 Strategy Review – Volume 2: Annexes

Innovations in paediatric medicines delivery awarded UnitaidExplore funding

  • Two new awards announced under Unitaid’s agility mechanism, UnitaidExplore; DelSiTech and FluidPharma will each receive investment for innovations to make medicines easier to give to children 
  • Latest call comes in context of Unitaid’s ground-breaking work on paediatric formulations to treat HIV, TB and malaria  
  • Children in low- and middle-income countries have lower treatment coverage and worse health outcomes than adults – a lack of paediatric formulations is a major contributing factor. 

Geneva, 4 October 2021 – Two companies developing potentially game-changing medicine delivery mechanisms for children are the latest recipients of UnitaidExplore funding. 

Finnish company DelSiTech and British enterprise FluidPharma have each been awarded funding following the latest call for applications under Unitaid’s pioneering agility mechanism.  

Children in low- and middle-income countries have lower treatment coverage and worse health outcomes than adults. A major barrier is a lack of medication that is specifically formulated for their needs. Often medicine is too bitter, difficult to swallow or not correctly dosed, making it hard for children to stay on treatment for diseases such as HIV, malaria and TB.  

The latest UnitaidExplore call specifically targeted this issue, inviting applicants to apply for funding to push forward innovation in this field. It builds on Unitaid’s significant work in the field of paediatric formulations for HIV, TB and malaria treatments, and its key role in WHO’s GAP-f network.

FluidPharma will use UnitaidExplore funding to take forward development of their MicroCoat™ technology, which utilises tiny cellulose spheres with taste-masking properties to deliver medication in a formulation that is more palatable to children. It is hoped that this technology could be used across a range of disease areas, with initial development of an artesunate/amodiaquine malaria combination therapy. 

DelSiTech’s work focuses on the development of long-acting injectables to deliver medicines to children, reducing the burden of tablets and the associated stigma with taking such medication. The technology involves the use of thin, minimally invasive needles to deliver a unique silica-based formulation via sub-cutaneous injection. The technology can be used to administer drugs that treat or prevent a wide range of conditions, while significantly extending the effective duration of the treatment from a single dose. 

Unitaid Director of Strategy Janet Ginnard said: “Innovations in medicine delivery that are specifically aimed at children are of utmost importance and we are pleased to announce this funding to DelSiTech and FluidPharma. These investments fit firmly with Unitaid’s track record in facilitating access to the best medicines for the most vulnerable people. These innovations will help ensure that children can benefit from lifesaving treatment and have the best possible health outcomes.” 

The investments from Unitaid will accelerate both companies’ paediatric delivery mechanisms, covering pre-clinical work for several different potential applications. 

Professor John Reeder from WHO’s GAP-f network said: “Unitaid’s new investments in innovative delivery approaches for children are extremely welcome, as they spark new energy and collaborations to ensure that science and innovation are at the service of those who have been too often left behind, our children.” 

Dr. Lasse Leino, Chief Executive Officer from DelSiTech said: “Alliances, such as with Unitaid, are essential to us and to healthcare organisations around the world for the realisation of our common goal, securing real advancements in global health. DelSiTech is committed to pursuing long lasting strategic partnerships, enabling us to play a role in improving treatment outcomes, now for clearly underserved children. We are thrilled to collaborate with Unitaid and are prepared to leverage the full extent of our technologies and expertise for paediatric solutions for patients, wherever they may be”. 

Dr Fang Liu from Fluid Pharma said: “We are really excited for this opportunity to join Unitaid’s excellent work in making medicines suitable for children. Applying the MicroCoatTM technology, we will develop paediatric anti-malarial treatments that are palatable, easy to swallow and stable, to improve compliance and treatment outcomes for children.” 

This announcement complements two awards given last year to the first UnitaidExplore recipients, Vayu Global Health and EPFL EssentialTech, to take forward innovations in paediatric oxygen delivery.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

Media contacts

For more information and media requests:

 

Hervé Verhoosel

Head of Communications

Unitaid, Geneva

verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

tel. +44 77 29 618 634

 

Maggie Zander

Communication Officer

Unitaid, Geneva

zanderm@unitaid.who.int

tel. +41 79 593 17 74

End-of-grant evaluation Medicines Patent Pool (MPPII)

Biomarkers for acute febrile illness at the point-of-care in low-resource settings. Technical working session. Meeting pre-reads