13 July 2023
The Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) supplement,“Advancing use of long-acting and extended delivery (LAED) HIV prevention and treatment regimens” published a paper by Medicines Patent Pool co-authors on voluntary licensing of long-acting HIV prevention and treatment regimens: using a proven collaboration- and competition-based mechanism to rapidly expand at-scale, sustainable, quality-assured and affordable supplies in LMICs.
Click Here To Access The Paper
The JIAS commentary explained how emerging long-acting (LA) prevention and treatment medicines, technologies and regimens could be game-changing for the HIV response, helping reach the ambitious goal of halting the epidemic by 2030. To attain this goal, the rapid expansion of at-scale, sustainable, quality-assured, and affordable supplies of LA HIV prevention and treatment products through accelerated and stronger competition, involving both originator and generic companies, will be essential.
“To do this, global health stakeholders should take advantage of voluntary licensing of intellectual property (IP) rights, such as through the UN-backed, not-for-profit Medicines Patent Pool, as a proven mechanism to support broad access to existing HIV medicines across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).” shared MPP co-authors, Lobna Gaayeb, Aditi Das, Ike James, Rajesh Murthy, Sandra Nobre, Esteban Burrone, Sébastien Morin
The paper discusses 10 enablers of voluntary licensing of IP rights as a model to rapidly expand at-scale, sustainable, quality-assured, and affordable supplies of LA HIV prevention and treatment regimens in LMICs:
1. Identifying promising LA technology platforms and drug formulations at an early developmental stage and engaging with patent holders
2. Consolidating a multidisciplinary network and strengthening early-stage coordination and collaboration to foster innovation
3. Embedding public health considerations in product design and delivery
4. Building innovative partnerships for product development and commercialization
5. Raising awareness of and creating demand for emerging LA products
6. Estimating the market size, ensuring sufficient competition and protecting sustainability
7. Using technology transfer and hands-on technical support to reduce product development timelines and costs
8. Exploring de-risking mechanisms and financial incentives to support generic manufacturers
9. Optimizing strategies for generic product development and regulatory filings
10. Aligning and coordinating efforts of stakeholders across the value chain.
Discover Our Long-Acting Therapeutics Patents and Licences Database(LAPaL)
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.