22 March 2022
Geneva – Following the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP)’s announcement on 17 March 2022, Darnitsa, based in Kyiv, Ukraine, has signed an agreement to manufacture the generic version of Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 treatment. This brings the final number of companies to sign a sublicence with MPP to 36 and spans 13 countries. The non-exclusive sublicence allows Darnitsa to produce the finished drug nirmatrelvir co-packaged with ritonavir and supply to 95 low- and middle-income countries, including Ukraine.
“We are delighted that Darnitsa has felt able to sign a sublicence agreement with us at such a challenging time. This is the first time we have granted a sublicence to a Ukrainian company and is part of our commitment to ensure as wide a geographically dispersed manufacturing base as possible,” said Charles Gore, MPP Executive Director. “We will offer what support we can to Darnitsa to ensure that people have access to this important COVID-19 antiviral.”
“A powerful and innovative pharma is an extremely important component of the country’s national security, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine and the global pandemic. As Ukraine’s largest pharmaceutical corporation, “Darnitsa” has created a strategy in partnership with the government and worldwide healthcare leaders to help ensure access to a generic version of the COVID-19 treatment for Ukrainian patients and healthcare professionals as well as for the whole region. We are very grateful to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health for its incredible assistance. We are proud to become MPP partner in Ukraine. We are looking two steps ahead in overcoming any risks of future pandemic in Ukraine,” said Dmytro Shymkiv, Executive Chairman, Board of Directors Darnitsa.
Access the sublicences
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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.