(257) CTI Tracker: A Resource for Monitoring Innovations in Contraceptive Development

Emily Hoppes¹; Audrey Fratus¹; Will M. Skinner²; Logan Nickels²; Laura Hertel³; Daniel Goldberg⁴

1. Contraceptive Research, Development and Introduction, FHI 360, Durham, NC, USA

2. Male Contraceptive Initiative, Durham, NC, USA

3. Nuapoch, Inc., Oakland, CA, USA

4. Global Health- Discovery & Translational Sciences, Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA

Abstract Text:

Pharmaceutical development, even when conducted in non-profit and academic contexts, is often a “black box” – ideas go in and products come out, but the inner workings are difficult to understand and track. Motivated by a desire to improve cross-organizational collaboration, knowledge exchange, and decision-making in the field of contraceptive R&D, the Contraceptive Technology Innovation (CTI) Exchange – managed by FHI 360 – completed the development of an enhanced resource to monitor and report on global contraceptive development platforms, the CTI Tracker.

While the CTI Exchange has long maintained a basic repository of contraceptive targets, leads, and products, the 2024 development of the CTI Tracker creates a more user-friendly, comprehensive, and functional database, grounded in an extensive human-centered design process and rigorous content review. The Tracker reports on contraceptive programs in the discovery, pre-clinical and clinical stages of development, and products approved in one country with the potential for additional regulatory approvals. It also preserves an archive of leads or products no longer in active development. Database content was sourced from peer reviewed literature, press releases and announcements within the scientific community, developer pipeline reports, donor award archives, and from CTI Exchange collaborators, including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Initiative for Multipurpose Prevention Technologies, and the Male Contraceptive Initiative. An expert panel of contraceptive developers and donors evaluated both the scope and definitions used to structure the database, and the content of each record. As drug development is a dynamic process, database content is reviewed annually, and developers are invited to revise records as appropriate.

Within the CTI Tracker, each contraceptive record includes the following information: lead or product name(s), female/male, hormonal/non-hormonal, delivery type, intended duration, development stage, developer(s)/researcher(s), as well as additional product details, known development history, a selection of relevant publications, and links to additional information. These records are searchable and can be filtered using key product attributes. The Tracker also includes a detailed glossary and “how to” page to enhance the user experience.

In its current iteration, the Tracker provides information for 119 contraceptive programs in active development, including 30 male methods and 36 multipurpose prevention technologies. A majority of these (54 entries, 45%) are in pre-clinical development, while 32% (38) are in active clinical development, and 19% (23) are in discovery or early development. Most products (69 entries, 58%) are designed to be pericoital or short-acting methods, while 26% (31) are long-acting or permanent. The remaining are too early in development to have a set duration. Amongst those with a defined delivery type (111 entries), the most common are intrauterine (15), oral (14), and vaginal ring (13).

Both this high-level snapshot and the detailed program records that the CTI Tracker provides will enable donors and developers to gain a deeper understanding of the contraceptive R&D landscape, enhancing funding strategy and propelling scientific innovation. The Tracker will help professionals across the field identify and address research gaps, find potential collaborators and partners, and orient students and young professionals interested in careers in contraceptive research.