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The Medicines Patent Pool and the World Intellectual Property Organization to further advance strategies and information sharing for public health

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About Us

The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to, and facilitate the development of, life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries.

Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with civil society, governments, international organisations, industry, patient groups and other stakeholders, to prioritise and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.

To date, MPP has signed agreements with ten patent holders for thirteen HIV antiretrovirals, one HIV technology platform, three hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals and a tuberculosis treatment. MPP was founded by Unitaid, which continues to be MPP’s main funder. MPP’s work on access to essential medicines is also funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Featured

COVID-19 Open Pledge

12 November 2020

Kenya

26 October 2020

Ukraine

30 June 2020

India

14 February 2020

"The Medicines Patent Pool was established as a landmark initiative to expand access to treatments for priority diseases. Over the last decade, MPP has become a strong partner in global health, working to facilitate access to HIV and hepatitis C medicines in low- and middle-income countries through voluntary licensing and patent pooling. With its impressive track record, MPP has a critical role to play in making affordable versions of patented essential medicines and technologies available to those who need it the most, including for COVID-19."

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization

"The creation fo the Medicines Patent Pool by Unitaid ten years ago enabled the production of generics that treat tens of millions of people around the world. This led to important successes such as an annual treatment for HIV/AIDS for less than USD 70 in Africa, instead of USD 10,000 in Europe. Today, maybe more than ever, we need MPP’s model to help pharmaceutical companies license their rights on a voluntary basis and continue to save lives."

Marisol Touraine, Chair of the Executive Board of Unitaid

"As the Medicines Patent Pool celebrates its ten-year anniversary, we are proud to support MPP’s effort to speed up access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries. MPP’s voluntary licence mechanism is very much needed, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it promotes a collaborative vision of ensuring rapid access of quality-assured affordable essential medicines to people living in low- and middle-income countries while acknowledging the need to fund innovation."

Alexander Schulze, Head of the Division Global Programme Health, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

MPP in Numbers

patent holders with MPP signed agreements

generic manufacturers and product developers have sublicences from MPP

countries have benefitted from access to MPP-licensed products

ongoing pharmaceutical development projects

0Bn

Billion dollars saved by the international community, from January 2012 to June 2020

0Bn

Billion doses of treatment supplied from January 2012 to June 2020

0Mn

Million patient-years of treatment through MPP’s generic partners, from January 2012 to June 2020

For Everyone Everywhere

Discover where we helped and what we have achieved

Patent and licensing status: last updated on 30 November 2020 (see announcement). Disclaimer | Product availability data from MPP sublicensees: last updated on 20 January 2021 (data as of 30 September 2020) | Note: Sales may occur in countries in the absence of registration via procurement channels, registration waivers and/or exemptions

Additional Tools

Business Model

Prioritising Medicines for Licensing

Licences

MedsPaL

Key Publications

Annual Reports

06 October 2020

MPP Publications

MPP framework for prioritising target medicines for in-licensing under its newly expanded mandate

09 May 2019

MPP Publications