21 May 2018
Meeting: Seventy-first World Health Assembly (A71/1)
Agenda Item: 11.5 Addressing the global shortage of, and access to, medicines and vaccines
The Medicines Patent Pool welcomes the report by the Director-General on Addressing the Global Shortage of, and Access to, Medicines and Vaccines. We note that one of the actions considered by the Secretariat as having the greatest potential impact on access to safe, effective and quality medicines is expansion of the MPP to include all antimicrobial medicines and patented medicines from the WHO EML.
The MPP was established and funded by Unitaid as a mechanism to promote innovation and access to medicines through public health-oriented licensing. It is a concrete example of progress in moving towards Universal Health Coverage by enabling over 100 countries get faster access to the latest treatments at affordable prices and in suitable formulations. Currently, the MPP holds licences on 16 medicines with 9 patent holders and 25 partner generic companies to develop, register, manufacture and supply WHO-recommended products in LMICs. 17 million patient years of treatment have already been delivered by MPP’s partners in 127 countries.
Until now, the mandate of the has been limited to HIV, HCV and tuberculosis. In 2016, WHO and others recommended expansion of MPP’s mandate to include all patented essential medicines. With the support of the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency, the MPP has undertaken a feasibility study to assess the potential for the MPP to expand. The results of the feasibility study, along with MPP’s new strategy will be presented on May 24, at 6pm at an event taking place across the road at the Red Cross. We look forward to welcoming you there. We thank UNITAID for the continuous support. We would like to thank WHO, Member States and other stakeholders for having encouraged the global health community to test this innovative approach in other disease areas. We look forward to intensifying the collaboration.
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.