Microbicides 2004 Microbicides 200428-31 March 2004, Hilton London MetropoleThe conference42 million men, women and children worldwide were living with HIV by the end of December 2002 (source: UNAIDS), including five million newly-infected during that year alone. Another 45 million people will become infected between 2002 and 2010, unless the current transmission rates can be vastly reduced. Of the 42 million, 29.4 million live in sub-Saharan Africa and 58% of them are women. Not only are women more susceptible to HIV infection, many are powerless to insist on the use of condoms or other methods of protecting themselves. In this context, and with the knowledge that an effective HIV vaccine is unlikely to be available for several years, the need for an effective topical microbicide grows ever more urgent. 2004 should prove to be a landmark year in the field of microbicide development as the first Phase III trials of novel products are due to start – the next step along the road to making a microbicide available to the millions worldwide in desperate need of protection.The aims of the Microbicides 2004 conference are to:Report novel or innovative work in the microbicides fieldProvide updates on recent microbicides research, divided into three tracks: basic science, clinical science, and behavioural science (including public health and the microbicide marketplace)Provide a forum for the discussion of new developments in microbicide research including ethical, clinical, behavioural and methodological issuesPresent opportunities for knowledge-sharing between microbicide researchers, public-health workers and advocacy organisations.There will be an opening ceremony on the evening of Sunday 28 March at which politicians, policy makers and the international media are expected. The conference will run for a full three days, each of which will contain:Scientific overviews and presentations with plenary sessions, invited lecturers and presentations of original researchWorkshops to review issues unique to microbicides such as trial design and outcome measures, and ethical issues in the clinical trials of microbicidesPoster sessions. Focus on LondonFollowing the successful Microbicides conferences in Washington in 2000 and Antwerp in 2002, March 2004 sees the focus move to London.The venue is the Hilton Metropole Hotel, two minutes by taxi from Paddington station and the Heathrow Express, with a journey time from the airport of 15 minutes. The hotel is in walking distance of Hyde Park and London’s main shopping streets, and close to Imperial College. Accommodation will be available at the venue and other hotels in the vicinity.London in March offers a variety of diversions for out-of-conference relaxation, including sight-seeing and shopping; the arts and the theatre; and pubs, clubs and restaurants to suit every taste. Conference staff will be on hand to help delegates plan their spare time.To book your place or find out more information, e-mail info@microbicides2004.org.uk or telephone the Event Office on +44 (0) 20 7720 4411
Oral: invited speaker Oral: Track A Oral: Track B Oral: Track C Poster: Track A Poster: Track B Poster: Track C Abstract only Authors

02406 DETERMINING THE COST: GETTING TO PROOF OF CONCEPT

Lamphear, Trisha
Des Vignes, F, Harrison, P, Bowcut, J
Alliance For Microbicide Development

The objectives of this research are to: (1) Ascertain the costs for taking a single microbicide candidate to proof of concept; (2) Determine the costs of advancing all microbicide candidates in the pipeline to proof of concept. Methods: The number of microbicides in the current pipeline was taken from the Microbicide Research and Development Database (MRDD). Developers with candidate microbicides were contacted to collect data on their calculations of the costs of imminent, planned, and projected clinical trials. We then obtained illustrative numbers for the minimal pre-clinical requirements for IND submission, which were then used to construct two profiles. The first profile is an estimate based on the average costs for pre-clinical and clinical phases to ascertain the cost of taking a single microbicide to proof of concept. The second profile is an estimate for moving all microbicide candidates in the pipeline to proof of concept. As there is no adequate basis for determining fallout, all candidates were assumed to advance and it was also assumed that each candidate would fulfil minimal pre-clinical and early clinical requirements and one trial in each of phases 2 and 3. Results: Results of these analyses are being cleaned and will be provided as the conclusions of this abstract. Implications: A major challenge for microbicide research and development is identifying and securing sufficient funding commitments. For present and prospective funders, having a clear picture of what is needed will be essential to wise judgments about forthcoming allocations and, possibly, collaborative decision-making.

Research Associate, Trisha Lamphear
8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 940, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 USA
(Telephone) 301-587-3302 (Fax) 301-588-8390 (E-mail) tlamphear@microbicide.org