LAPaL was launched by MPP, with support from Unitaid, with the ambition to become one of the first go-to resource for information on long-acting technologies patents and licences. It builds on the expertise in patent searching gained with MedsPaL and on collaborations with subject-matter experts in the long-acting space.

Its content is steadily growing in scope and number of entries and more visitors are gaining interest in the tool. These include treatments advocates, pharmaceutical companies, innovations startups, academic researchers and funding agencies.

Today, it encompasses technical and intellectual property information for a selection of 11 long-acting platform technologies with many potential applications in the fields of HIV prevention and treatment, hepatitis B treatment, malaria treatment, type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders management, pain management and contraception, among other applications.

Three of these technologies were recently licensed to MPP to ensure that equitable access is granted to the persons needing them in low- and middle-income countries, when these are proven to be safe and efficacious. For other long-acting technologies, innovators have expressed their commitment to accelerate development of formulations with potential global health impact through a set of access principles.

Recently, and through a collaboration with the Center of Excellence of Long Acting Therapeutics (CELT) and the Long-Acting/Extended Release Antiretroviral Research Resource Program (LEAP), a new section was added to LAPaL, making the database not only about technology platforms, but also about long-acting compounds. It now includes 10 compounds with long half-life or that could be formulated in a manner that enables extended release.

We are also collaborating with major initiatives and groups, such as AVAC to synergise efforts and support the global community to deliver effectively in the HIV prevention spaceand the Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations Network (GAP-f) to support their efforts of mapping ongoing developments of long-acting therapeutics targeted for use in children.

Additionally, an exciting new feature has recently been added to LAPAL: a visualisation dashboard (Landscape)  to benchmark a selection of investigated and approved long-acting compounds in the HIV and TB fields and the related clinical trials. It provides information on the clinical trials pipeline of a set of compounds and filing data for the most advanced products.