On Tuesday 18 October 2022 we co-hosted a session at the World Health Summit on the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub: Towards Sustainability.
The mRNA technology transfer hub and spoke model aimed at empowering LMICs through sharing knowledge, building capacity, and creating a network of collaboration is on track to deliver in the Covid-19 space. It is now indisputable that to face future pandemics and ensure vaccine equity, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with strong R&D and manufacturing capacity, need to be part of the solution. Sustainability, however, requires an even greater commitment from all global health actors.
The session unpacked important considerations from:
The purpose of the session was to identify key issues that will need to be addressed and set the stage towards collectively working on solutions to ensure sustainability of vaccines produced through the network of the mRNA technology transfer hub programme.
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.