24 September 2019
On the occasion of the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage held during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 23 September 2019 in New-York, Unitaid published a special report gathering the stories of all of its grantees around the theme of Innovation and universal health coverage:
“Universal health coverage presents an enormous, complex challenge that calls for the expertise of many partners, all working together. In the series of articles that follows, some of the world’s prominent global health innovators explain how their collaborations are creating the kinds of tools and approaches that will be indispensable to meeting the challenge of health coverage for all.”
Read the report to discover how MPP contributes to the universal health coverage goals through its innovative public health-oriented licensing model increasing access to essential medicines.
In addition, you can read a message from MPP’s Executive Director on universal health coverage, published ahead of the High-Level Meeting.
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.