REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
NCDs Market Access Data Collection
Deadline: 15 September 2023
Title of the Consultancy
Disease-specific data collection aimed at assessing the capacity of a sample of low- and middle-income countries to introduce newer pharmacological treatments in their national healthcare systems, both public and private, to support access to MPP-licensed products.
Background on the Medicines Patent Pool
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) was established by Unitaid in 2010 as a public health organization with a mandate to accelerate access to affordable and quality-assured HIV treatments in developing countries through an innovative voluntary licensing (VL) and patent pooling mechanism. It negotiates intellectual property (IP) licensing agreements with patent holders to allow generic manufacture and supply of medicines in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with industry, governments, civil society, international organizations, patient groups and other stakeholders.
The MPP model seeks to ensure new (hence patented) treatments are more widely available at an affordable price several years prior to patent expiry. In addition, licences enable LMIC-focused innovation, such as the development of new fixed-dose combinations and special formulations for children needed in resource-limited settings. At the request of the international community, MPP progressively expanded its focus beyond HIV, initially to tuberculosis and viral hepatitis. In 2018, after undertaking a feasibility study exploring the public health need for, and potential feasibility and impact of, expanding its work into all patented essential medicines, MPP expanded its mandate to non-communicable diseases.[1] In 2020 our mandate was further expanded to health technologies relevant for COVID-19 and in 2021 to biotherapeutics.[2]
Recognizing that access to medicines in LMICs faces multi-factorial challenges, particularly in the NCDs field where several hurdles often impact the possibility of patients to be treated, MPP seeks to work with relevant partners, capable of contributing with different expertise to such multi-faceted challenges. One example is the Access to Oncology Medicines
(ATOM) Coalition, a multi-stakeholder partnership established in 2022 by 25 partners to improve access to essential cancer medicines in LMICs but also to expand capacities for diagnosing cancer and for the proper handling and supply monitoring of these medicines. [3]
To date, MPP has signed agreements with 18 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 12 COVID- 19 technologies. Relying on a methodology recently published in The Lancet Public Heath, MPP has estimated that, between 2010 and 2022, 34.69 billion doses of treatment were supplied through MPP licences, averting 27,000 deaths. These results came with an economic saving of 1.5 billion for the global health community.
Objectives
This project aims to collect country and disease-specific market access data to support MPP activities in the NCDs field. This assessment is done to support MPP in developing an in-depth understanding of countries’ barriers and opportunities for the uptake products that have been prioritized for in-licensing and to develop its value proposition according to the findings. More in detail, the data collected will support MPP in the identification and selection of NCDs medicine to prioritize for its in-licensing activities, in product-specific in-licensing negotiations, and in the identification of tailored activities that MPP and partners can engage in to support the uptake of licensed products at the country level.
Disease areas of focus
Currently, NCDs areas of interest are those for which MPP has prioritized candidates, namely: type 2 diabetes and oncology. The request is to focus data collection activities on type 2 diabetes and at least 3 among the following types of cancers:
- Breast cancer;
- Lung cancer;
- Prostate cancer;
- Cervical cancer;
- Hematological conditions such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia or chronic myeloid leukemia.
However, proposals may also identify additional NCD areas that can represent a priority for LMICs and where the voluntary licence model of MPP could represent an opportunity.
Countries of focus
MPP’s mandate focuses on low- and middle-income countries, which correspond to the following three income groups according to the World Bank Classification: low-income, lower-middle-income, and upper-middle-income countries. (See here)
Consultants would be required to identify a subset of LMICs that can form a representative sample according to geography, income, size of the population, burden of diseases, level of achievement of Universal Health Coverage incl. its funding, health expenditure and financing, health system capacity, and pharmaceutical policies.
Ideally, a sample of at least 10 LMICs would be selected, including two low-income countries, six lower-middle income countries and two upper-middle income countries, preferably focusing on countries that have benefitted from past MPP licences.
Type of information to be collected in the assessment
The data need to provide an in-depth country specific understanding of all relevant dynamics for the uptake of the innovative pharmaceutical products the MPP has prioritized, from the organization of the health system to the patient journey.
In general, this will include at least two groups of information:
- General and quantitative information on the health system, e.g.: organization and structure of the health system (e.g. centralization vs decentralization); health system financing mechanisms adopted by the country; country health priorities; detailed info on health and human resources for health; medicines’ supply chain, services provided to patients in the public health sector etc etc)
- Disease/product specific and quantitative data, e.g.:, patient journey; treatment cascade; diagnostic capacity (infrastructure and HR), availability and affordability of treatments, pharmaceuticals value chain, additional diagnostic or treatment requirements needed by the prioritized candidate etc etc).
Please, note that the information mentioned above only represent an example and not an exaustive list of data required for the assessment, we expect the consultants to develop a comprehensive list of information to be collected, to achieve the objectives described.
Inputs
MPP list of current priority medicines: https://medicinespatentpool.org/what-we-do/prioritising-medicines-for-licensing
Timelines of the project
We expect the first draft of the required outputs to be delivered by November 30th. MPP will, then, provide its feedbacks to support the development of the final report that is expected by the end of this year. Therefore, the time available for the consultants to implement the assessment is around 8 weeks.
Required Outputs
- The detailed data collected;
- A report summarizing essential findings per disease/country (Word and power point);
- Product-specific list of inputs that are essential to market the specific product;
- Any other presentations, as required by MPP.
Funding
All proposals must include a budget and budget justification for all costs associated with this project. Costs must detail all components of this project. Please, note that the budget must be expressed in USD as it will be the currency of remuneration.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- Expertise on Health systems, Market Access, Global Health & pharmaceutical sector;
- Direct access to countries’ health sectors’ data;
- Breadth, depth and relevance of data and information to be collected;
- Cost of the budget proposal;
- Timelines;
- Project management and customer service skills;
- Experience of the team assigned to the project;
- Firm track record and customer satisfaction;
- Note: prior experience working with MPP is a value-add.
How to submit the proposal
Proposals should be sent by e-mail to office@medicinespatentpool.org with the subject “RFP – NCDs Market Access Data Collection” with the proposal, fees, and proposed timeline for deliverables by 15th September 2023.
In case there is need for additional information, please reach out to Hannah Barron Moak, hmoak@medicinespatentpool.org and/or Giulia Segafredo, gsegafredo@medicinespatentpool.org.
[1] https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/326273
[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(22)00460-0/fulltext