24 May 2018
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Executive summary
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) conducted a feasibility study to assess the public health need for – and the feasibility and potential public health impact of – expanding its mandate from HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis C to patented essential medicines in other therapeutic areas.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation funded the assessment after several stakeholders, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Lancet Commission on Essential Medicines Policies, recommended expansion of MPP’s patent pooling model to all patented essential medicines, such as those included on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.
Expansion of MPP’s mandate was also an integral part of recommendations on access to medicines and intellectual property discussed this year at the 71st World Health Assembly (documents A71/12 and A71/13).
Strategy, Policy and Market Access
Disease Areas
Prioritising Medicines for Licensing
Contribution to Universal Health Coverage
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.