Geneva, 5 February 2020 – As the World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health community work to identify the best course of treatment in the fight against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov), the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is ready to support access to treatment through its voluntary licensing mechanism in low- and middle- income countries.

MPP works with a wide range of treatments and holds licences for HIV antiretrovirals (ARVs) that may be effective in the treatment of 2019-nCov. MPP is currently monitoring developments closely to ensure equitable access to effective treatments. Increasing the scope of countries that a licence covers, as well as the use of ARVs for coronavirus treatment, is an opportunity for MPP to lend its model and expertise in assisting in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak.