9 May 2019
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has today published a prioritisation framework that outlines a precise methodology for assessing candidate medicines that could play a major role in MPP’s expanded mandate into new disease therapies beyond HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis.
The framework considers a number of criteria, including the clinical importance of specific medicines, guided, where possible, by World Health Organization (WHO) existing assessments and aligned with established global health priorities. Also under consideration will be potential access challenges relating to these medicines and the potential for MPP to address these challenges through its public health-oriented licensing and patent pooling model. The overall emphasis will be on ensuring greatest public health impact, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
The publication of the framework follows an announcement in May 2018, that MPP would expand its mandate following a recommendation from WHO to explore a role for MPP in relation to other patented essential medicines.
Read the Prioritisation Framework
Read more about MPP’s expanded mandate
Press and Media
Prioritising Medicines for Licensing
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.