Greetings,
This newsletter provides updates from the Hormonal IUD Access Group – a global consortium of governments, donors, manufacturers, procurement agencies, researchers, and service delivery organizations that are collaborating to expand access to the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (IUD), also known as the hormonal IUD, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as part of a comprehensive contraceptive method mix. Below you will find important updates about this effort.
In this newsletter:
Hormonal IUD added to USAID and UNFPA product catalogs
The hormonal IUD has been added for the first time to the product catalogs for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The products being introduced are MirenaTM, which is supplied by Bayer AG, and AvibelaTM, which is supplied by Impact RH360, a subsidiary of Medicines360. Both products are quality-assured by stringent regulatory authorities. With a goal of facilitating procurement and distribution in LMICs, USAID’s family planning priority countries are eligible to procure the product through the Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project. Participating countries in the UNFPA Supplies Partnership or other countries using domestic funds are eligible for procurement through UNFPA.
For more information, read the announcement on the FP2030 website here.
WHO issues statement on hormonal IUD nomenclature
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a statement with recommendations on standardized nomenclature. Several acronyms have been in used in the past, including LNG-IUD, hormonal IUD, LNG-IUS and hormonal IUS, and this could contribute to confusion among users, providers, and other stakeholders. To avoid this, the WHO proposed the standardized nomenclature “hormonal IUD” be used when referencing the method category. In response, the Hormonal IUD Access Group has been renamed to reflect this recommendation. Read WHO’s statement here.
Training resources available for the hormonal IUD
The resource library on the Hormonal IUD Access Portal provides links to training resources including the Hormonal IUD Module in the Training Resource Package for Family Planning. Developed by a consortium of partner organizations led by USAID, WHO, and UNFPA, the Training Resource Package for Family Planning is intended for reproductive health providers, trainers, and managers.
Download additional training resources for the hormonal IUD here.
Catalytic Opportunity Fund available to support hormonal IUD introduction activities
The Catalytic Opportunity Fund (COF) for new and lesser-used reproductive health (RH) products provides short-term grants to fund catalytic activities that support introduction or scale-up of reproductive health products including the hormonal IUD. The COF is a flexible pool of funds that is administered by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and managed by global steering committees. You can learn more about the various funding streams, eligibility criteria, supported countries, and application requirements in English here or French here. Please contact the COF team at cof@clintonhealthaccess.org if you have any questions.
Introduction planning resources available for the hormonal IUD
Countries that are currently planning to introduce the hormonal IUD are considered to be in Phase 1. These countries have indicated strong government interest, have quality-assured product(s) registered or registrations are in progress, have articulated provider readiness, and have begun development of plans for public sector introduction. For countries interested in introducing hormonal IUD in the future, the first step is for the government and partners to contact USAID, FCDO, UNFPA, and/or GHSC-PSM offices or to email the Hormonal IUD Access Group at info@hormonaliud.org
New resources are available to support introduction including a Hormonal IUD Introduction Planning Guide, a Hormonal IUD Training & Mapping Tool and a Hormonal IUD Introduction Work Plan & Costing Tool. These resources can be adapted as needed by country governments and stakeholders.
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