Contraception 87 (2013) 257
Editorial
New vision for contraceptive research and development
On April 20, 2012, the Population Council's International
Committee for Contraception Research (ICCR) convened its
100th meeting in New York City. The meeting brought
together current and emeritus members of the ICCR. Pre-
sentations focused on long-acting, reversible methods of
contraception, male contraception, and future research oppor-
tunities. A symposium was organized around the theme “New
vision for contraceptive research and development.” Founding
ICCR member Daniel R. Mishell, Jr. who actively participated
in all 100 meetings of the Committee, was honored for his
outstanding contributions to the field of women's health and
contraceptive research.
The International Committee for Contraception Re-
search (ICCR) was established in 1970 by the Population
Council with the goal of bringing methods that are safe,
effective, reversible and affordable to the most vulnerable
populations in less developed countries. The ICCR and
the Population Council have pioneered research on
contraceptive methods, which have been used by millions
of women worldwide. Most long-acting methods such as
intrauterine contraception with devices such the Copper
T380A, Paragard® or medicated systems such as
Mirena®, subdermal implants such as Norplant® and
Jadelle® and vaginal rings were designed by ICCR
members and initially developed by the Population
Council, and later in private-public partnerships with
http://www.popcouncil.org/mediacenter/features/2012_ICCR100th
Meeting.asp.
0010-7824/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2012.08.028
industrial firms to ensure large scale manufacturing and
worldwide distribution.
The ICCR's mission for the past and the future decades
includes the development of new male and female contracep-
tives, bringing novel ideas and concepts to clinical develop-
ment, and establishing their place in the broader context of
reproductive and sexual health, thereby assisting in the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. To
promote better female and male reproductive and sexual health
worldwide, the ICCR has extended its vision through the
development of new concepts of contraception and reproduc-
tive medicine and through the widespread dissemination of
information on contraceptive research and service delivery.
The symposium included state of the art reviews of
vaginal rings, intrauterine systems, vaccines, male contra-
ceptive methods and non-hormonal contraception for men
and women, as well as transdermal contraceptives and
methods that will bring additional health benefits to users. In
this issue of Contraception, presentations of the key lectures
of the symposium are published. We believe these articles
will become major references in the field.
Regine Sitruk-Ware
Peter Donaldson
Population Council, New York, NY 10021, USA
E-mail address: regine@popcbr.rockefeller.edu