30 June 2026
MPP delivered a statement at the 58th meeting UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board, taking place between 30 June and 2 July 2026.
Statement delivered by Marie Levy, Policy and Advocacy Officer:
Agenda Item 3 — Follow-up to the thematic segment on “Beyond 2025: Long-acting antiretrovirals – the potential to close HIV prevention and treatment gaps”
The Medicines Patent Pool welcomes the report. Long-acting antiretrovirals are among the most promising innovative tools for the HIV response. Yet innovation only matters if it reaches people who need them. Public health-oriented voluntary licensing, technology transfer, and local and regional manufacturing are central to that effort.
For more than a decade, with the support of Unitaid and numerous partners, voluntary licensing though MPP has enabled access to quality-assured generic HIV medicines across 148 low, lower-middle, and upper-middle income countries. In 2025, this reached more than 26 million people in 129 countries. The MPP model is now delivering on long-acting options. Through a voluntary licence with ViiV Healthcare, 133 countries will be able to access quality assured generics of long-acting cabotegravir for both prevention and treatment. This responds directly to the UNAIDS’ call to promote equitable access to long-acting technologies.
Broad, transparent, and early licensing on public health-oriented terms and conditions is a proven mechanism that enables such equitable access to affordable and quality-assured health products. MPP stands ready to support broad and timely access to additional long-acting HIV medicines currently in development. These efforts are framed with a goal of supporting affordable access, regional and local manufacturing, pooled procurement, demand generation, and other community-led initiatives asking for an accountable HIV response.
MPP remains committed to working with UNAIDS, WHO, Member States, communities, manufacturers, innovators, and other global health partners, so that innovations for HIV and co-infections reach all people who need them.
Thank you.
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.