11 October 2017
Geneva, 11 October 2017 — The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Otsuka to accelerate the development and manufacturing of, and access to, paediatric formulations containing delamanid for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
Delamanid 50mg tablet was recently added to the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List for Children signalling its priority for health programmes globally. Otsuka is currently developing a suitable paediatric formulation of the treatment for younger children.
The MoU outlines broad areas of collaboration between the parties, including seeking funding to have a third-party manufacturer develop appropriate paediatric formulations, and engaging in necessary licensing activities to move this forward. Importantly, it also envisions the parties seeking out future areas of cooperation in the field of MDR-TB treatment to address broader unmet patient needs.
The MPP, originally focused on HIV treatment access, expanded its mandate in late 2015 to include tuberculosis and hepatitis C medicines. The collaboration with Otsuka follows the MPP’s licence with Johns Hopkins University for promising TB compound sutezolid and sublicensing agreement with TB Alliance to develop the compound for tuberculosis patients.
Access the press release in Spanish
The Medicines Patent Pool is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis treatments in low- and middle-income countries. Through its innovative business model, the MPP partners with industry, civil society, international organisations, patient groups and other stakeholders to prioritise, forecast and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations. To date, the MPP has signed agreements with nine patent holders for thirteen HIV antiretrovirals, one HIV technology platform, two hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals and a tuberculosis treatment. The MPP was founded and is funded by Unitaid.
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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.