24–26 September 2026 | Hong Kong
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) will participate in the World Cancer Congress 2026, bringing its perspective on how voluntary licensing and partnerships can help expand equitable access to cancer medicines in low- and middle-income countries.
Organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the World Cancer Congress brings together cancer organisations, health professionals, policymakers, researchers, advocates and people with lived experience from around the world to exchange knowledge and explore solutions to improve cancer prevention, treatment and care.
MPP’s participation will focus on the role that voluntary licensing can play in addressing barriers to accessing cancer medicines and supporting broader efforts to improve equitable access to treatment.
See the overall program
Session overview
Despite significant advances in cancer treatment, access to new and effective medicines remains highly unequal, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
This one-hour MPP session will bring together perspectives from oncology, people with lived experience, access organisations and global health partners to explore the barriers that continue to prevent people from accessing the cancer medicines they need.
The discussion will consider how different actors can work together to bridge the gap between innovation and access, including the potential role of voluntary licensing and other collaborative approaches in making cancer treatments more widely available and affordable.
Key speakers
Throughout the conference, MPP welcomed partners and participants at Booth C30 in the exhibition area, to learn more about our work on access to cancer medicines and the role of voluntary licensing in helping make innovative treatments available in low- and middle-income countries.
Visitors will also be invited to contribute to an interactive live word cloud by answering one question:
“In one word, what will it take to achieve equitable access to cancer treatment?”
Scan the QR code at the MPP booth, share your answer and see what the global cancer community believes is needed to turn innovation into equitable access.
MPP will also host a series of short sessions and conversations at booth C30 throughout the Congress.
Cancer Access Partnership session Join Gertrude and Salomé, with an introduction from Giulia Segafredo, Senior Manager, Access, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), MPP, for a conversation on advancing equitable access to cancer treatment.
Date and time: To be confirmed The session will also be livestreamed on YouTube.
Discover MPP in Chinese Join our Chinese-language session for an introduction to MPP, how voluntary licensing works and our work to expand access to innovative medicines.
Date and time: To be announced
Meet the experts Drop by the booth for informal conversations with MPP colleagues and learn more about different areas of our work:
Dedicated time slots: To be announced
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 innovative medicines and other health technologies 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 health products and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.
To date, MPP has signed agreements with 23 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, one antiviral treatment for influenza, 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 and Coeffient Giving. MPP’s activities in technology transfer are undertaken with the financial support of the Japanese Government, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation, the Government of Flanders and SDC.