22 September 2025
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is proud to see the first patients in El Salvador, Indonesia, and the Philippines gaining access to quality-assured generic nilotinib, a treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). To date, the ATOM Coalition’s efforts have enabled delivery of a nilotinib supply sufficient to provide treatment for approximately 375 patient-years of CML across the three participating countries. This is equivalent to about 375 patients each receiving a full year of therapy.
This milestone was made possible through the voluntary licence agreement for nilotinib that Novartis granted to MPP in 2022, facilitated by the ATOM Coalition. It marked the first time a company licensed a patented cancer medicine through a public health-oriented voluntary licensing mechanism. Since then, though the public health-oriented voluntary licence for nilotinib, generic manufacturers have been able to develop and supply stringent regulatory authority-approved nilotinib for a range of low- and middle-income countries.
“Non-communicable diseases like cancer pose huge access challenges, especially in LMICs. That’s why this patient reach of nilotinib is so meaningful. It’s a powerful proof of concept that strategic partnerships and the approach of the Coalition work, bringing together complementary skills and expertise of relevant partners to tackle such a complicated disease. We’re proud to be part of making this happen,” said Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP
The ATOM Coalition, led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), is a global initiative tackling systemic barriers to cancer care in low- and lower-middle-income countries by improving access to critical medicines and diagnostics. Together with its partners, the Coalition is committed to ensuring that solutions like access to nilotinib are sustainable and scalable for long-term impact.
Read the full press release on the ATOM website here
Press and Media
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 22 patent holders for 13 HIV antiretrovirals, one HIV technology platform, three hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals, a tuberculosis treatment, a cancer treatment, four long-acting technologies, a post-partum haemorrhage medicine, three oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and 16 COVID-19 technologies.
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), Government of Canada, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of Flanders. MPP’s activities in COVID-19 are undertaken with the financial support of the Japanese Government, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and SDC.