As the field of long-acting therapeutics continues to expand across disease areas, access to reliable, up-to-date information is becoming increasingly important. The Long-Acting Therapeutics Patents and Licences Database (LAPaL), developed and hosted by the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), receives funding from Unitaid, Coefficient Giving and NIH through the Long-Acting/Extended Release Antiretroviral Research Resource Program (LEAP). The platform is curated in partnership with the University of Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence for Long-Acting Therapeutics (CELT), bringing together expertise from across the long-acting therapeutics ecosystem. In this interview, Dr Adeniyi Olagunju reflects on how LAPaL is helping researchers, product developers, funders and policymakers navigate a rapidly evolving field and why shared knowledge is essential to accelerating equitable access to long-acting therapeutics.

Long-acting therapeutics are attracting growing attention across infectious diseases, mental health, contraception and other therapeutic areas. As innovation accelerates, so does the challenge of navigating an increasingly complex landscape of technologies, compounds, formulations, intellectual property landscape, clinical trials and regulatory developments.

For Dr Adeniyi Olagunju, Reader in Perinatal Systems Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, member of the Executive Committee of LEAP and lead of the LEAP Communications Core, access to reliable and consolidated information is critical to helping the field advance efficiently and equitably.

“Before LAPaL, one of the major challenges was fragmentation in data. Researchers and product developers often had to search across scientific publications, clinical trial registries, regulatory databases, patent databases, company announcements and conference proceedings to build even a basic picture of a product or platform technology.”

Created and hosted by MPP thanks to initial Unitaid funding, LAPaL was designed to address this challenge by bringing together information relevant to the long-acting therapeutics ecosystem in a single, accessible platform.

A shared vision for a stronger ecosystem

LEAP became involved with LAPaL in 2022 after recognising its potential value for researchers, developers and funders working in the field. Since then, MPP, LEAP and CELT Global Health have worked together to support the platform’s growth and evolution. “At LEAP, we saw the platform’s huge potential for the field.”

What began as a platform primarily focused on long-acting technologies has expanded considerably. Today, LAPaL allows users to explore information on long-acting technologies, compounds, formulations, patents, licences, clinical development activities, regulatory approvals and product registrations. “What has been particularly valuable is that LAPaL now sits at the intersection of science, policy, access and product development. Through LEAP, and with NIH funding supporting our contribution, we have been able to work with colleagues at MPP to help strengthen LAPaL’s evolution into a one-stop shop for long-acting therapeutics.”

Making sense of a rapidly evolving field

As a researcher, Dr Olagunju regularly uses LAPaL to monitor developments across the field. Among the platform’s most valuable features is the clinical trials landscape, which provides a consolidated view of products progressing through development. “It provides a very clear and useful overview of the clinical development status of long-acting products, which is incredibly helpful in a field that is expanding quickly and where information can otherwise be quite fragmented.”

For researchers studying the use and safety of long-acting medicines in populations that have historically been underrepresented in research, such visibility is particularly important. “The clinical trials landscape helps us to see where the current gaps are, which products are progressing, which populations are being studied, and, importantly, where pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding and paediatric populations may still be underrepresented.”

LAPaL has also supported collaborative research efforts. Dr Olagunju points to recent publications and initiatives led through LEAP and the Community of Practice for long-acting therapeutics for maternal and paediatric health. “LAPaL content was critically important in facilitating these outputs because it gave us a curated, field-wide view of product development activity and helped ground our discussions in the current evidence and development landscape.”

From knowledge to impact: advancing equitable access

For Dr Olagunju, LAPaL’s value extends well beyond supporting research. By bringing together clinical, regulatory, and intellectual property information, the platform helps stakeholders make more informed decisions and identify opportunities for collaboration. “Having relevant clinical, regulatory and intellectual property information in one trusted source supports better decisions, reduces duplication and helps align diverse stakeholders around a shared understanding of the current landscape.”

For Dr Olagunju, this is particularly important because the foundations of equitable access are laid well before a product reaches the market: “Access is shaped much earlier, by decisions about which products are prioritised, which populations are considered, which formulations are developed, where evidence is generated, and how intellectual property and regulatory pathways are navigated.”

The success of LAPaL also reflects the complementary expertise contributed by its partners. “The partnership brings together highly complementary strengths. MPP brings leadership in access, licensing, intellectual property and global health-oriented product strategy. LEAP brings a broad network across long-acting therapeutics, including HIV, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis. CELT brings scientific, translational and communications expertise in long-acting technologies.”

Together, these organisations are helping ensure that innovation and access considerations advance hand in hand. “LAPaL is more than a database. It is a knowledge infrastructure that can help align scientific, policy, regulatory and access stakeholders around a more coherent understanding of the long-acting therapeutics landscape.”

Shaping the next chapter of long-acting therapeutics

Looking ahead, Olagunju sees enormous potential for long-acting therapeutics as they expand into new disease areas and become an increasingly important component of healthcare delivery. “What excites me most is that long-acting therapeutics are moving from being a specialist formulation concept to becoming a broader therapeutic strategy.”

As the field grows, so too will the need for trusted sources of information that help stakeholders understand where the field stands and where opportunities exist. “Not every researcher, policymaker or product developer has the time or resources to track the entire long-acting landscape independently. By curating and organising that information, LAPaL can help broaden participation in the field and support more equitable, evidence-informed decision-making.”

His message to potential users is simple: “LAPaL is a unique resource, and perhaps the only one of its kind, offering a trusted, curated and accessible view of the long-acting therapeutics landscape, while helping researchers, funders, policymakers and product developers understand where the field is now, where it is heading, and where coordinated action can have the greatest impact.”

As long-acting therapeutics continue to advance across disease areas, platforms such as LAPaL will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that knowledge is shared, collaboration is strengthened and innovation translates into equitable access for the people who need it most.