Seattle will be the place to be on September 27 and 28, when male contraception researchers from the US and overseas gather to present their news. We're particularly excited to hear the presentation on how the IVD trial is going, and many other teams will present late-breaking news during the poster session. The conference, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, is aimed at researchers and policymakers but is open to the public and jounalists. We'll be there, letting them know about public support for new forms of birth control for men.
Learn more:
Future Of Male Contraception conference website
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is gearing up to make a big difference in global reproductive health! After going through a reorganization, the foundation has affirmed its commitment to this area.
The foundation has already revitalized work on neglected diseases such as malaria and visceral leishmaniasis, partly through its support of the nonprofit drug company Institute for OneWorld Health. It hopes to make a similar impact on reproductive health, with "improving contraceptive methods through the discovery, development, and clinical testing of methods that are more acceptable to potential users, easier to use, more effective, and better suited for use in resource-limited settings" as one of its stated goals.
We hope this means the foundation will be in a position to work together with nonprofits and government agencies to get contraceptives such as RISUG, ultrasound, and the IVD tested and to market, now that Gates is beginning to gather the people-power to focus on this area.
Here's the announcement:
"Monica Kerrigan has joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as Senior Program Officer on the Reproductive Health team. Monica is an experienced manager of reproductive and maternal health initiatives. In her most recent post, she was a Project Officer focused on Maternal and Child Health with UNICEF in Indonesia. Before that Monica worked as a Senior Technical Advisor for Reproductive Health for USAID, also in Indonesia, where she managed a significant family planning and reproductive health portfolio and facilitated program pick-up by the Indonesian government. From 2000-2002 Monica served as a Contraceptive and Condom Security Advisor with USAID in Washington, DC. In that capacity, she coordinated activities at the global and country level to ensure contraceptive supply. Previously as Deputy Chief of the USAID’s Communications, Management and Training Division, Monica provided technical and strategic guidance to major communication and behavior change programs which reached countries on a variety of health services, including maternal health and family planning. From 1990-1994 Monica directed the Africa office at the Johns Hopkins University Program for International Education in Reproductive Health and provided guidance to ministries of Health and Education to strengthen clinical training and service delivery. Monica served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural primary health care setting in Mali."
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News from the folks at Population Action International (PAI):
"Members of Congress head back to their districts this month with the threat of a Presidential veto of the 2008 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill casting a dark cloud over the good work they’ve done. Why a possible veto? It’s all because of a provision that exempts US-donated contraceptives and condoms from the restrictions of the Global Gag Rule. Who would have thought that helping life-saving contraceptives and condoms get to the people who want and need them most would be reason to veto $34.5 billion in foreign assistance?"
This doesn't directly affect contraceptive research funding, the issue many of you wrote to your congressmembers about during the budgeting process. However, it would prevent currently-available contraceptive supplies from reaching many couples around the world.
If you care about this issue, PAI suggests contacting your senators and representatives while they are home in your district this month and asking them to overturn any Presidential veto.
Read more:
PAI's commentary “Mr. President: Read the Bill!”
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Finnish companies have stopped working on male contraception. They blame the decision on the product's expense, the need for sperm checks, and the general slowdown in contraceptive research lately.
Development of male contraceptive pill comes to halt
Helsingin Sanomat International Edition, 8 August
University of Kansas Medical Center researchers get local TV coverage for their lab work on a potential nonhormonal male contraceptive.
KU research aimed at birth control for men
ABC News, 18 July
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Editors
Elaine Lissner, Director of the Male Contraception Information Project (MCIP)
Email: info@NewMaleContraception.org
MCIP is entirely nonprofit and works in three areas: raising public awareness of promising nonhormonal male contraceptives, advocating increased and expedited government research, and serving as a resource for journalists who wish to write about the subject.
Kirsten Thompson, Director of the Male Contraception Coalition (MCC)
Email: info@MaleContraceptives.org
The Coalition’s objectives are to speed the development of new male contraceptives through increased legislative and institutional support, to raise funds for applied male contraception research and development, and to educate the public about the work of the research community.
