Ten years ago, in October 2016 the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) launched MedsPaL, its free patents and licences database. A decade later, MedsPaL has become a trusted resource for stakeholders working to expand access to health products around the world.

What began as an effort to bring greater transparency to the patent landscape for HIV medicines has evolved into the world’s leading public health database on the intellectual property status of essential medicines, vaccines and health technologies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Today, MedsPaL serves governments, procurement agencies, manufacturers, researchers, civil society organisations, international agencies and public health practitioners seeking reliable information on patents, licences and related intellectual property issues that can affect access to health products.

Building on a foundation of transparency

The origins of MedsPaL date back to MPP’s early years. Following its establishment by Unitaid in 2010, MPP began working with national and regional patent offices and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to collect information on the patent status of HIV medicines in developing countries. This work led to the creation of MPP’s HIV Patent Status Database, an initiative that UNICEF described in 2012 as an “invaluable step towards furthering access”.

As MPP’s mandate expanded beyond HIV to include hepatitis C and tuberculosis, and subsequently essential medicines more broadly, the need for a more comprehensive resource became increasingly clear. Stakeholders across the global health community repeatedly highlighted the challenges of obtaining reliable and up-to-date information on whether medicines were patented, licensed or otherwise available for supply and manufacture in different countries.

In response, MPP launched MedsPaL in October 2016 at the WIPO General Assemblies. The platform brought together patent and licensing information in a single public resource, providing data on around 4,000 patent applications covering HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis medicines in over 100 countries.

The launch reflected a shared belief among MPP, Unitaid and partners that transparency is essential for improving access to health products.

A decade of growth

Over the past ten years, MedsPaL has expanded significantly in both scope and scale from 4000 patent applications to 33,800.

From an initial focus on three diseases and 35 medicines, MedsPaL now covers all patented medicines included in the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines, selected vaccines for health emergencies and long-acting health technologies.

As of September 2026, MedsPaL contains:

  • Information on 217 health products: 194 medicines, 15 vaccines and 8 technology platforms
  • 460 formulations
  • 33,800 national patent applications
  • 86 public licences
  • Coverage across 203 jurisdictions
  • Regulatory data exclusivity information from 13 authorities

These figures reflect the steady expansion of MedsPaL into a comprehensive resource supporting access across a growing number of disease areas and health technologies.

Supporting global health decision-making

Access to medicines begins with information.

Whether a country is exploring procurement options, a manufacturer is assessing opportunities to develop and supply a product, or a global health organisation is seeking to understand possible generic market entry, reliable information on patents and licences can be critical.

By making such information publicly available and easier to navigate, MedsPaL helps stakeholders better understand the intellectual property landscape and supports evidence-based decision-making. In doing so, it contributes to a more transparent, predictable, and efficient ecosystem for expanding access to health products.

Its value extends beyond the data it contains. MedsPaL has become an important public good that helps facilitate dialogue among governments, innovators, manufacturers, international organisations, civil society and access advocates. It supports efforts to identify opportunities to expand access while fostering greater transparency across the health innovation ecosystem.

A collaborative effort

The success of MedsPaL has been made possible through the contributions of many organisations and individuals over the past decade.

MPP is especially grateful to Unitaid, which founded MPP in 2010 and supported the development of patent information work that ultimately led to the creation of MedsPaL and continues to play a critical role in funding and supporting the platform’s ongoing development, maintenance and improvement. MPP also thanks the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Government of Japan, and Coefficient Giving whose contributions help sustain and strengthen MPP’s patent information activities.

We also recognise the collaboration of national and regional patent offices, WIPO, WHO, technical experts, partner organisations and the many users who have helped shape MedsPaL over the years through their feedback, expertise and continued engagement.

Most importantly, we thank the governments, procurement agencies, manufacturers, researchers, civil society organisations, advocates and global health institutions that use MedsPaL in their daily work to advance access to health technologies.

Looking ahead

As MPP embarks on its 2026-2030 strategy, the need for transparent and accessible intellectual property information is only growing.

Scientific innovation continues to deliver new medicines, vaccines and technologies with the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing health challenges. Ensuring equitable access to those innovations requires not only scientific advances, but also the information needed to navigate increasingly complex intellectual property landscapes.

MPP remains committed to continuing the evolution of MedsPaL, expanding its coverage, strengthening its functionality, and ensuring it remains responsive to the needs of the global health community.

Ten years after its launch, MedsPaL continues to demonstrate that transparency is not merely a technical exercise. It is a practical tool that helps support informed decision-making, enables access planning, and contributes to the shared goal of ensuring that health innovations reach the people who need them most.

Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said: “Access to medicines starts with access to information. For a decade, MedsPaL has helped make complex patent and licensing information freely available, giving countries and partners the knowledge they need to navigate barriers to affordable treatment. Unitaid is proud to have supported MedsPaL from its creation through its expansion into new diseases and technologies. Its evolution shows what sustained investment and partnership can achieve in making lifesaving health innovations more accessible to everyone.”
Jayasree K Iyer, CEO, Access To Medicine Foundation, said: “Access requires knowing whether a medicine can legally be made and supplied in a country. MedsPaL enables that information publicly available for many medicines across low- and middle-income countries, and helps the Access to Medicine Index focus on the products where companies still hold the key to access and focus our assessment on medicines of greatest public-health relevance and where there are opportunities to expand access in LMICs”
Peter Beyer, Deputy Executive Director, Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP) said: “Access to effective antibiotics depends not only on developing new treatments, but also on ensuring they can reach the people who need them. By making patent and licensing information transparent and easily accessible, MedsPaL provides a valuable resource for organisations working to expand access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries. GARDP congratulates the Medicines Patent Pool on ten years of MedsPaL and its contribution to global access to medicines.”
Harm Veerkamp, Director of Procurement Services, IDA Foundation, said: “At IDA Foundation, we value MedsPaL as a trusted resource that brings reliable patent information together in one place, helping us navigate a complex patent landscape and make informed sourcing decisions. For us, access to this information ultimately supports something much bigger: our commitment to making essential medicines more accessible to people who need them most. We warmly congratulate the Medicines Patent Pool on MedsPaL’s 10th anniversary and look forward to continuing to benefit from this important resource.”
Nikola Trifunovic, Head of Procurement, i+solutions, said: “As a procurement services agent working across the public health sector with both originator and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, i+solutions has valued MedsPaL as an important resource since its launch in 2016. Its clear and accessible information on patents and licences helps us navigate complex markets and support access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries. Congratulations to the Medicines Patent Pool and MedsPaL on this important 10-year milestone.”
Jithu Krishnan, Head of Institutional Business, Sun Pharma, said: “As manufacturers, we receive requests to supply medicines in more than 100 countries. By putting patent and licensing information at our fingertips, MedsPaL helps us make timely, informed decisions that ultimately serve the needs of customers and patients.”
Viktor Cherniavskyi, Procurement Analyst, UNDP Global Health Supply Centre, said: “Over the past decade, MedsPaL has become an important public health resource. By making patent and licensing information easier to access and understand, it enables organisations like UNDP to make informed procurement decisions, manage risks and better plan access to health products across diverse country settings. Its continued evolution will remain important as new health technologies enter the market.”
Amy Dietterich, Director, Global Challenges Division, WIPO, said: “WIPO would like to commend MPP for their pioneering work in expanding access to medicines using voluntary licensing. Today marks a major milestone with their patent and licenses database reaching ten years and serving as a valuable resource to help essential medicines reach markets where they are most needed”.
Lorenzo Moja, Scientist, Secretariat of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, said: “MedsPaL helps the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines better understand how patents influence the market for medicines. These insights inform consideration of important issues such as availability, affordability, and the level of competition within therapeutic classes, helping to support evidence-based decision-making. This connection is also reflected in the WHO electronic Essential Medicines List (eEML), which links to MedsPaL to facilitate access to patent information for listed medicines”.

Acknowledgements

As we mark 10 years of MedsPaL, we gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Pascale Boulet, who helped conceptualise the database and led its initial data management, Global Health Systems & Analytics for developing its data architecture, and Goji Labs for the design, development and ongoing maintenance of the platform. Their expertise has been instrumental in shaping MedsPaL into the resource it is today.