23 March 2026
MPP delivered a statement at the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which was conducted in hybrid format on 23–28 March 2026.
Statement delivered by Mila Maistat, Senior Manager, Policy, Strategy and Market Access:
Non-exclusive licensing and technology transfer under Article 12(8) of the PABS Annex are essential to achieving equitable objectives of the Pandemic Agreement.
Preparing for future health emergencies requires building capabilities now, so that these mechanisms deliver effectively during pandemics. This requires sustained investment in technical, regulatory, and manufacturing capacity to operationalise licensing and technology transfer.
We wish to highlight that proven and operational mechanisms are already in place to support these objectives.
The mRNA Technology Transfer Programme is a WHO/MPP-led programme, based on a multilateral technology transfer mechanism and comprised of a network of 16 manufacturers. It is contributing to building manufacturing capacity for pandemic medical countermeasures in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Similarly, for non-exclusive licensing, the established MPP mechanism accelerates access to WHO-recommended products, improves affordability, and supports regional manufacturing—having facilitated the delivery of 52+ billion doses across 148 countries, preventing ~1.9 million deaths and saving $2.3 billion.
Referencing these established and proven multilateral mechanisms in Article 12(8) would not only ensure accountability to Member States but also enable timely and effective implementation, thus strengthening overall operability of the PABS Annex.
More on MPP’s work in pandemic preparedness and response
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 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 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.