7 September 2025
The updated WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc) includes several important, and still patented, therapies for high-burden diseases, including cancer, cystic fibrosis, haemophilia, pediatric, HIV with associated comorbidities such as obesity. The EML and EMLc remain key references for MPP’s work, guiding our efforts to stay aligned with global health priorities and focused on addressing the most pressing needs of populations worldwide.
We reaffirm our commitment to exploring how MPP’s expertise in voluntary licensing, technology transfer, and manufacturing can help enable access to these high-impact essential medicines. MPP will maintain its current efforts to support country uptake of the newly included generic pediatric fixed-dose combination of abacavir + dolutegravir + lamivudine (also known as pALD and which started reaching low- and middle-income countries in 2024 – See detailed roll-out information). MPP will also continue to explore ways to expand access to immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with cervical, lung, and colorectal cancers, as well as GLP-1–based therapies for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, ensuring close alignment with the updated EML and EMLc. Guided by our vision, we will continue working to identify ways to accelerate equitable access to these medicines for people living in low- and middle-income countries, leaving no one behind.
MPP’s comments to the 25th WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines, including patent information on new submissions, can be found here: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/2025-eml-expert-committee/comments/l.3_comments_mpp.pdf?sfvrsn=94122e8e_1
The updated WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc) can be found here: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/382243/B09474-eng.pdf
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.