Geneva – The Medicines Patent Pool and the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), today announced that three new licence agreements have been concluded with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, and the University of Chile on three COVID-19 products. The licences, which are transparent, global, and non-exclusive, will allow manufacturers from all around the world to work with MPP and C-TAP to make these health products accessible worldwide to people in need.

  • CSIC – who had already licensed to MPP, under the auspices of C-TAP, its COVID-19 serological antibody diagnostic test in November 2021 – is licensing a vaccine candidate based on the MVA vector platform, a highly attenuated Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector that has been engineered to express a prefusion-stabilized human codon-optimized full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein.
  • Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp is licensing a vaccine that obtained Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in Taipei in July 2021. To date, more than three million doses of the vaccine have been distributed and administered in seven countries under the EUA.
  • The University of Chile is licensing a technology that detects the presence of neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The University of Chile becomes MPP’s first licensor as a university based in Latin America.

Licensing these COVID-19 health technologies to MPP under the auspices of C-TAP will support access to these products, once fully developed and proven safe and effective. The three originators have agreed to provide all necessary know-how and materials to the licensees, with the goal to facilitate the worldwide use of their COVID-19 products.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said “COVID-19 is here to stay, and the world will continue to need tools to prevent it, test for it and treat it. Through C-TAP, WHO and our partners are committed to making those tools accessible to everyone, everywhere. I am grateful to the leadership shown by those license holders who have contributed technology.”

Charles Gore, Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) said: “Access to essential medicines and health technologies needs to remain a top priority on the global health agenda. We congratulate CSIC, Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, and the University of Chile for licensing their products to MPP and hope it will send an important message to other originators around the world to enter into further licence agreements under the auspices of C-TAP.”

Eloísa del Pino, President of the CSIC said: “This licensing agreement with C-TAP opens the possibility of finding partners in third countries to advance clinical trials with this vaccine as a future alternative to licensed COVID-19 vaccine options worldwide, especially in resource-limited countries.”

Charles Chen, CEO of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp., said: “We believe that the most effective response to a pandemic must be rooted in solidarity, cooperation, and collective global effort. By joining the C-TAP initiative, we are providing equitable access to our vaccine technology. It underscores our commitment to ensure that vaccines reach all corners of the globe, leaving no one behind. This is not just about COVID-19, it is about setting a precedent for future global health challenges. By demonstrating our commitment to open science and cooperative strategies. We hope to inspire other organisations to follow suit. To all those that trusted, participated, collaborated, and supported us, thank you! For without you, we could not make this C-TAP initiative possible.”

University of Chile Rector, Professor Dr. Rosa Devés Alessandri, said: “For the University of Chile, the achievement of our scientists, is a source of pride and an encouragement for the advancement of biomedical research in our country. It shows how excellent research carried out in developing countries has the capacity to offer solutions with a high social impact in the field of health. We thank all the organisations that have made it possible for the University of Chile to contribute to global health”.

The COVID-19 Technology Access Pool was launched in May 2020 by WHO and the Government of Costa Rica, with the support of UNDP, Unitaid, UNAIDS, and implementing partners including the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) who provides the licensing expertise to this initiative and holds the licences. The Technology Access Pool was welcomed by Member States in the “Local Production Resolution” as a tool to promote competition and access to medicines, vaccines and other health technologies. An evolved model for technology sharing will soon be announced by C-TAP based on the significant learning achieved since its launch. Its ambition will continue to be embedded in equity of access to health technologies.

Access the licence agreements on the MPP website:

The press release is also available in French and Spanish.

Access the press release issued by WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/29-08-2023-who-initiative-signs-new-licensing-agreements-on-covid-19-technologies

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About MPP

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 20 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, three oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and 15 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). 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. More information at https://medicinespatentpool.org/  and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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