IRMA chair Jim Pickett discusses the need for new ways to prevent HIV, like rectal microbicides.
-------------------
*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,200 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.
*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.
*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
As many of our readers know – in December IRMA, the Microbicide Trials Network, and Population Council launched the video “The Rectal Revolution is Here: An introduction to rectal microbicide clinical trials.” The 14-minute video includes researchers, advocates, and trial participants and discusses the need for rectal microbicides and the role of clinical trials in developing products that are safe and effective. It is available on YouTube in English, Spanish, and Thai and has been watched by several thousand viewers already.
The team has produced a facilitator’s guide to accompany the video, and the English version can be downloaded here.
The guide is meant to be used as a preparation tool for people leading community discussions, workshops, and/or recruitment sessions who will be showing the educational video. You will find simple, clear background information on rectal microbicide research and the clinical trial process as well as helpful hints on using the video.
We are still finalizing versions in Spanish and Thai – and will post them as soon as they are ready to go.
Many, many thanks to our partners at MTN and Population Council for
their help and expertise with this guide, our Video Advisory Committee
that provided invaluable feedback, our fabulous graphic designer from
Toolbox, Inc., and to our intrepid Spanish and Thai translation teams!
If you would like an electronic copy of the video that you can keep on your computer or a flashdrive to be used for presentations, send a note to rectalmicro@gmail.com.
We hope you find this guide helpful!
-------------------
*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,200 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.
*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.
*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
"The Rectal Revolution is Here: An introduction to rectal microbicide clinical trials" on YouTube.
The vid, developed by IRMA, Microbicide Trials Network, and Population Council, is available in English, Spanish and Thai languages.
Watch to learn about the need for rectal microbicides, how clinical trials work, and the importance of volunteers in the effort to make safe, effective, acceptable and accessible new HIV prevention tools.
-------------------
*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,200 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.
*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.
*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
"The Bottom Line on Rectal Microbicide Research" was presented by IRMA's Jim Pickett at Gay Men's Health Crisis in NYC on January 23, 2013. POZ Magazine recorded the proceedings and produced this 4-minute highlight video, below. Check it out!
"The Rectal Revolution is Here" was screened as well. You can watch the 14-minute video describing rectal microbicide clinical trials on YouTube in English, Spanish, or Thai. It's an entertaining mix of live action and animation, and features a rectal microbicide trial participant who explains what the process was like, and why he chose to be in a prevention trial.
-------------------
*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.
*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.
*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
HIV prevention organizations debut The Rectal Revolution Is Here: An Introduction to Rectal Microbicide Clinical Trials in advance of first-ever Phase II rectal microbicide trial
[Press Release]
International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA), the Population Council, and the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) today released a collaborative video project called The Rectal Revolution Is Here: An Introduction to Rectal Microbicide Clinical Trials. The jointly produced video, the first of its kind, is designed to educate communities affected by HIV about rectal microbicide development and the importance of participating in clinical trials to help speed the search for new HIV prevention options.
"The Rectal Revolution will be an excellent tool for education and recruitment for MTN-017, the first-ever Phase II safety trial of a rectal microbicide planned to launch soon. The video will be particularly useful because it's not protocol-specific and can be used in future rectal microbicide trials as well," said Clare Collins, MTN associate director of communications and external relations and video co-producer.
"There is an engaging mixture of animation and live action with beautiful footage from Thailand, South Africa, Peru, and the United States," Collins continued, "and we showcase interviews with scientists, advocates, and an exceptional rectal microbicide trial participant, Rig Rush, who is both eloquent and entertaining as he shares his personal experience as a study volunteer."
Produced by Paw Print Productions of Cape Town, South Africa, the video is available for viewing now on YouTube in English, Spanish, and Thai.
"This educational video is a groundbreaking tool to recruit volunteers and educate public health leaders for what may be one of the most promising new methods to fight HIV," said co-producer Barbara Friedland, associate in the HIV and AIDS program at the Population Council. "It was developed through an intense consultative process to ensure accuracy and relevance to the communities where this video will be shown," she said.
"We wanted the video to be educational and engaging, and to encourage audiences to get involved in efforts to prevent HIV," Friedland continued."So we worked with an advisory committee comprising staff at rectal microbicide trial sites, scientists, advocates, and other community experts to develop the script. We screened 'rough cuts' of the video with 80 professionals in the field and pre-tested it in 13 focus group discussions with over 100 gay men and transgender women in Thailand, South Africa, Peru, and the United States," she said.
"The insights and wisdom these individuals shared with us were absolutely critical to shaping the final version of the video," said Friedland.
Major funding and support for the project was generously provided by the MAC AIDS Fund, the MTN, and the Population Council, through a grant from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The video debut precedes the soon-to-be launched landmark study being conducted by MTN to test a reduced-glycerin formulation of tenofovir gel among gay men, other men who have sex with men, and transgender women for safety and acceptability. MTN-017 is not only the first-ever Phase II study of a rectal microbicide, it is also the first time rectal microbicide research is expanding outside the United States and going global, with sites in Thailand, South Africa, Peru, and Puerto Rico.
"IRMA and the Population Council enthusiastically support the start of MTN-017," said Jim Pickett, IRMA chair. "The 186 individuals who will volunteer for the trial will more than double the total number of people who have participated in rectal microbicide clinical trials to date. The study will mark a giant leap forward for the field of rectal microbicides and will set the stage for future large-scale efficacy trials," he said.
Pickett continued, "the day we have a safe, effective, and acceptable rectal microbicide as a much-needed HIV prevention option for people who engage in anal intercourse is within our sights—these are truly revolutionary times and we couldn't be more energized."
IRMA, the Population Council, and MTN encourage HIV prevention advocates and community educators to screen The Rectal Revolution Is Here in their own workshops and sensitization sessions and to share it widely. To receive a copy of the video in English, Spanish, or Thai, please contact IRMA at rectalmicro@gmail.com.
Editorial notes:
Currently in development, microbicides are products (gels, lubricants, films) that could be applied in the rectum or the vagina to reduce the risk of HIV infection.
Unprotected anal intercourse is 10 to 20 times more likely to result in HIV infection compared to unprotected vaginal intercourse. Unprotected anal intercourse—a common human behavior—is a significant driver in the global HIV epidemic among gay men and transgender women as well as among heterosexuals.
IRMA, based at AIDS Foundation of Chicago, is a global network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers, and funders from six continents working together to advance a robust rectal microbicide research and development agenda. The "bottom line in HIV prevention," IRMA addresses the institutional, socio-cultural, and political stigma around the public health need for rectal microbicide research, and advocates to increase funding and commitment within this field of inquiry.
The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.
The Microbicide Trials Network is a U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded worldwide collaborative clinical trials network focused on preventing the sexual transmission of HIV. Recognizing the importance of microbicides research to HIV/AIDS prevention, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), established the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) in 2006, with co-funding from the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The MTN brings together international investigators and community and industry partners devoted to reducing the sexual transmission of HIV through the development and evaluation of products used orally or applied topically.
-------------------
*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us at rectalmicro@gmail.com. Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from all over the world.
*Please look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalRectalMicrobicideAdvocates, and you can follow us on Twitter: @rectalmicro.
*Also, please note that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
Rectal microbicides were ALL OVER the Microbicides 2012 conference...
Chatting up rectal microbicide research and advocacy activities and issues at the recent Microbicides 2012 conference (held in Sydney this past April) were Dr. Ian McGowan, co-principal investigator of the Microbicide Trials Network (and IRMA Scientific Co-Chair) and IRMA Chair Jim Pickett.
Have a look/listen to their discussion with reporters.
*Join IRMA's robust, highly-active. moderated, global listserv
addressing rectal microbicide research and advocacy as well as other
interesting new HIV prevention technologies by contacting us.
Joining our listserv automatically makes you a member of IRMA - a
network of more than 1,100 advocates, scientists, policy makers and
funders from all over the world.
*Also, please note
that shared news items from other sources posted on this blog do not
necessarily mean IRMA has taken any position on the article's content.
You met Tia IRMA (Auntie IRMA), a character created by IRMA's South American chapter IRMA-ALC (housed at Epicentro) to create awareness about rectal microbicides in a fun way, in this post from March 2012.
This is the second in a series of videos that will try to explain, in a very colloquial and humorous way, everything you might want to know about rectal microbicides, PrEP and many other subjects.
In this chapter of Tia IRMA's soap opera, she explains to us (in a funny way as always) the basic information about the development of a rectal microbicides.
Tia IRMA sees herself as an activist (and her nephew as a pasivist) and gives us a simple example of why we should advocate for a rectal microbicide. You see, her neighbor Betty (a transgender woman) always depends on her lover (Tia IRMA calls him a dog) since he doesn't always use condoms with Betty. With a rectal microbicide, Betty can take care of herself to prevent HIV infection.
Tia Irma can't wait for a rectal microbicide to be developed and try it, she wants to have the security and happiness when se gets wild on the back…
Besos Negros from Tia IRMA!
[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]
Introducing Tia IRMA (Auntie IRMA), a character created by IRMA's South American chapter IRMA-ALC (housed at Epicentro) to create awareness about rectal microbicides in a fun way.
This is the first of a group of videos that will try to explain, in a very colloquial way, everything you might want to know about rectal microbicides, PrEP and many other subjects.
In this episode, Tia IRMA and Tony (her nephew) promote her blog Canal Anal , where visitors will find useful information, tips and other relevant news on sex and HIV written by Tia IRMA and her friends. A group that includes a transgendered neighbor, a gay nephew and a very straight husband, since the idea is clear: Everybody is having anal sex, so don´t be shy!
A real, live, in-the-flesh Tia IRMA is going to participate in most of the LGBT community events this year in Peru (where she was born) and she expects to become more popular than Kim Kardashian, with a bigger and wiser butt ;)
Besos negros!
[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]
