Geneva, 17 May 2019 – In a joint declaration published today, the Health Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, gathered in Paris on 16-17 May, highlighted the importance of improving access to safe, effective, quality, affordable and essential health products and supported the expansion of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to essential medicines. In 2018, at the request of the international community, the MPP expanded its mandate beyond treatment for HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis to other essential medicines. Last week, the MPP published its new framework for prioritising target medicines for in-licensing under its expanded mandate. “In 2011, the G8 had welcomed the establishment of the Unitaid-funded Patent Pool to facilitate the production of affordable HIV medicines well-adapted for use in resource-poor settings, encouraging the voluntary participation of patent holders” said Charles Gore,...

Geneva, 9 May 2019 – The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has provided feedback on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) draft Global Strategy for TB Research and Innovation. The foundation welcomes the fact that the Global Strategy acknowledges the critical importance of ensuring that people with tuberculosis (TB) can benefit from advancements in TB research and the need for new models of innovation that are not only needs driven and evidence based, but guided by the core principles of affordability, efficiency, equity, sustainability and collaboration. Patent pooling is recognised in the strategy as one possible approach to supporting the development of needed medicines in the context of an enabling environment for TB research and innovation. The MPP is the first patent pool in the field of health and as such welcomes the opportunity to offer its perspective on the potential of the approach in the field of TB. Read the MPP’s feedback in full HERE More information on the WHO call for contribution to the...