Vision
A world in which people in need in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have rapid access to effective and affordable medical treatments and health technologies.
Mission
Our mission is to increase access to, and facilitate the development of, life-saving medicines for LMICs. We do this through an innovative approach to voluntary licensing and patent pooling. We work with a range of partners — civil society, international organisations, industry, patient groups and governments — to prioritise and license novel and existing medicines and health technologies for people in these countries.
Mandate
MPP’s mandate is to accelerate access to affordable quality treatments for people living with HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis, as well as HIV-associated co-morbidities. Since 2018, MPP has expanded its mandate to other patented essential medicines on the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) as well as medicines with strong potential for future inclusion on the EML. In 2020, we temporarily expanded MPP’s mandate to include COVID-19 treatments. In 2021, MPP expanded its mandate into the licensing of technology with an initial focus on COVID-19 vaccines and pandemic preparedness.
Disease Areas
27 April 2021
MPP Culture and Values
At MPP we are committed to making sure novel quality medicines are available and affordable in the shortest of time for those who would otherwise be left behind.
In order to accomplish our mission, we strive for excellence in our work and foster a positive organisational culture through transparency and open communication. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards, respecting individuality and encouraging innovation. We offer support to our partners as we share our learnings with the aim of accelerating access to treatment. In all what we do, we all do our best to stretch our own ability and capacity.
MPP in Numbers
patent holders with MPP signed agreements
generic manufacturers and product developers have sublicences from MPP
History
MPP was established in 2010 by Unitaid. Its vision was that non-exclusive voluntary licensing through a public health agency would enable more people in LMICs to access affordable treatments. Since then, MPP has succeeded in revolutionising the access landscape for new and essential treatments in resource-limited settings.
MPP started its work in HIV, where there were access gaps in relation to several new antiretroviral medicines. There needed to be an established mechanism for licensing under public health-oriented terms and conditions that would enable manufacturers to develop quality-assured generic products, and make them available where people could not have accessed them otherwise.
Today, more people can access better HIV treatments at affordable prices, and much faster than ever before. For instance, millions of people around the world have now gained access to dolutegravir (DTG) and DTG-based treatments at a much lowered price. You can read more on MPP’s contribution to making DTG available to people who need it most.
MPP's Path of Progress
Unitaid establishes the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP)
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) becomes the first patent holder to share its intellectual property
MPP launches the Patent Status Database
Gilead Sciences becomes MPP’s first private sector partner
Aurobindo signs first sublicence agreement
MPP and ViiV Healthcare announce a collaboration and a licence for paediatric HIV drug abacavir (ABC)
F.Hoffmann-La Roche signs an agreement to increase access to valganciclovir
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) signs a licence agreement for the antiretroviral atazanavir (ATZ)
ViiV Healthcare signs a licence agreement for dolutegravir (DTG) adults and paediatrics
MPP, Unitaid and Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative (DNDi) launch the Paediatric HIV Treatment Initiative (PHTI)
Cipla, Desano, Micro Labs and Mylan join MPP as sublicensees
Gilead Sciences signs a licence agreement for tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)
AbbVie signs a licence agreement for paediatric lopinavir, ritonavir (LPV/r)
Merck, Sharp & Dohme sign a licence agreement for raltegravir (RAL) paediatrics
Huaihai, Lupin and Strides Shasun join MPP as sublicensees
Unitaid approves MPP’s expansion into hepatitis C and tuberculosis
MPP signs first licence agreement for hepatitis C treatment daclatasvir (DAC) with BMS
MPP signs licence agreement with the University of Liverpool for its solid drug nanoparticle technology
Natco signs first sublicence DAC
AbbVie signs licence agreement for lopinavir, ritonavir (LPV/r) for Africa
ViiV Healthcare extends its licence coverage for dolutegravir (DTG) to all lower middle-income countries
TB Alliance and MPP sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve access to TB medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
Generic manufacturers Sandoz, Zydus Cadila, and Beximco join MPP to produce DAC
MPP launches new patents and licences database, MedsPaL
MPP signs first licence agreement for TB treatment sutezolid with Johns Hopkins University
TB Alliance signs sublicensing agreement for sutezolid
Anhui Biochem, Dr. Reddy’s, Macleods and Sun Pharma join MPP as sublicensees
Pharco Pharmaceuticals signs a licence agreement for hepatitis C treatment ravidasvir
ICAP and MPP sign a MoU to improve access to treatment for people living with HIV
MPP extends its licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences to include bictegravir (BIC)
Otsuka and MPP sign a MoU to make delamanid more available to children infected with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)
MPP expands MedsPaL to include patented treatments listed on the World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO EML)
MPP expands its mandate to include patented essential medicines listed on the WHO EML
MPP receives funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for its mandate expansion
AbbVie signs a licence agreement for hepatitis C treatment glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P)
Adcock Ingram, Arene Lifesciences, Celltrion, Langhua Pharma, Mangalam join MPP as sublicensees
Aurobindo and MPP sign a MoU to exchange information on DTG development and distribution
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation and MPP sign a MoU to improve access to optimised HIV paediatric formulations and MDR-TB treatments
Medicines For All Institute and MPP sign a MoU to accelerate access by reducing cost of active pharmaceutical ingredients
MPP signs a MoU with the Chinese National Medical Products Administration to enable MPP sublicensees from China to export to LMICs
MPP is recognised as key driver of access-oriented licensing of pharmaceuticals by the Access to Medicine Index
Following mandate expansion, MPP publishes a prioritisation framework outlining a precise methodology for assessing candidate medicines
MPP signs an amendment for the development of other DTG formulations for paediatric use
Pfizer signs a licence agreement for access to preclinical Phase I and II(a) data for sutezolid
Cipla signs a sublicence agreement for the generic development of LPV/r for paediatric use
MPP’s work is recognised by international organisations and world leaders, including G7 and G20 Health Ministers
MPP partners with University of Liverpool and University of Washington to forge the way for long-acting therapeutics