A decade of making medicines accessible

18 billion doses of treatment in 10 years

Annual report 2020

Message from MPP’s Board Chair and Executive Director

2020 has been an unprecedented year on so many fronts – from lockdowns and travel bans across countries, to economic slowdowns, to the loss of millions of lives and livelihoods. Amidst this year of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) turned 10 years old.
Dr Marie-Paule Kieny
Chair of MPP's Board
Charles Gore
Executive Director of MPP

In this Annual Report 2020, we invite you to delve into our journey over the last 10 years. This report is dedicated to all our partners because you share with us our core understanding that health innovations are only as powerful as they are accessible.

Read the full message

Message from
Unitaid’s Executive Director

When Unitaid founded MPP ten years ago, few believed the idea of a patent pool for medicines could work. The concept was ground-breaking, inspiring, and held tremendous potential to bring vital medicines to those in need. Ten years later, the impact is there for all to see.

Dr Philippe Duneton
Executive Director, Unitaid

Key endorsements
for MPP's work

“The Medicines Patent Pool was established as a landmark initiative to expand access to treatments for priority diseases. Over the last decade, MPP has become a strong partner in global health, working to facilitate access to HIV and hepatitis C medicines in low- and middle-income countries through voluntary licensing and patent pooling.

With its impressive track record, MPP has a critical role to play in making affordable versions of patented essential medicines and technologies available to those who need it the most, including for COVID-19.”

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director-General, World Health Organization

“The creation of the Medicines Patent Pool by Unitaid ten years ago enabled the production of generics that treat tens of millions of people around the world. This led to important successes such as an annual treatment for HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) for less than USD 70 in Africa, instead of USD 10,000 in Europe. Today, maybe more than ever, we need MPP’s model to help pharmaceutical companies license their rights on a voluntary basis and continue to save lives.”

Marisol Touraine
Chair of the Executive Board, Unitaid

“As the Medicines Patent Pool celebrates its ten-year anniversary, we are proud to support MPP’s effort to speed up access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries. MPP’s voluntary licence mechanism is very much needed, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it promotes a collaborative vision of ensuring rapid access of quality-assured affordable essential medicines to people living in low- and middle-income countries while acknowledging the need to fund innovation.”

Alexander Schulze
Head of the Division Global Programme Health,
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs,
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
01 - 03
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Our footprint -
MPP’s overall
impact in 10 years
of operations

18.55 billion doses of treatments supplied through MPP’s licences
10 patent holders signed agreements with MPP
18 products licensed to MPP
23 generic manufacturers and product developers sublicensed from MPP
155 active product development projects

MPP licences have generated USD 1.96 billion in global health savings through the procurement of more affordable quality-assured medicines from MPP generic partners through an average price reduction of 81%
relative to the originator price

Generic products facilitated by MPP have been distributed in 148 countries providing 49.71 million patient-years of treatment from January 2012 to December 2020

MPP’s impact is calculated and verified by KPMG
Read the KPMG report

2020 at-a-glance

January

The University of Liverpool and the University of Washington secure Unitaid grants for long-acting products; MPP proudly partners with both to increase access to these revolutionary technologies.

Read more
February

MPP co-sponsors a conference on long-acting injectables and implantables with MedinCell..

Read more

MPP and Viatris (through its subsidiary Mylan) sign an agreement to scale up access to the first generic version of hepatitis C treatment glecaprevir/pibrentasvir.

Read more

At WHO’s request, MPP begins to collect patent data on treatments being tested for COVID-19 and adds these to MedsPaL.

CHECK MedsPaL
March

Affordable versions of hepatitis C medicine daclatasvir from Bristol-Myers Squibb become available in additional countries.

Read more

MPP’s Board temporarily expands MPP’s mandate to include any health technology that could contribute to the global response to COVID-19.

Read more
April

MedinCell secures Unitaid grant for long-acting solution for malaria; MPP will partner on accelerating access.

Read more
May

MPP strongly supports multilateral COVID-19 global response and stands ready to contribute to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A).

Read more

MPP’s statement at the 73rd World Health Assembly welcomes Resolution WHA73.1 that calls to work collaboratively through “existing mechanisms for voluntary pooling and licensing of patents”.

Read more
June

Marking its 10th anniversary, MPP launches its new website.

Read more

Leading up to AIDS 2020 (virtual) conference, MPP organises an online roundtable on scaling up access to antiretroviral therapy.

Read more
July

MPP is a co-publisher, along with WHO and seven other leading organisations, of the policy brief ‘Considerations for introducing new antiretroviral drug formulations for children’.

Read more

MPP co-organises a satellite symposium at AIDS 2020 (virtual) together with Unitaid and WHO. The panel discusses access to long-acting technologies for HIV in LMICs.

Read more
August

MPP and the International Diabetes Federation join forces to improve access to diabetes medicines.

Read more
September

Dr Jinliang Li joins MPP’s Governance Board.

Read more

On World Heart Day, MPP and the World Heart Federation sign MoU to improve access to affordable cardiovascular disease medicines.

Read more
October

MPP co-organises a panel at the World Health Summit 2020 (virtual) with Unitaid and WHO; discussion focuses on access to essential medicines in LMICs – a prerequisite to achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Read more

Algeria gains inclusion to ViiV Healthcare/MPP adult licence enabling greater access to dolutegravir-based HIV treatments.

Read more

MPP showcases the progress and good initiatives taken in Kenya for greater access to medicines through a series of videos and written pieces.

Read more
November

MPP leads an open pledge bringing together generic manufacturers to combine forces for developing and delivering affordable COVID-19 interventions.

Read more

MPP participates in the Vatican meeting; keeps “access to child-friendly medicines” high on the agenda.

Read more

MPP secures a new USD 34.3 million grant from Unitaid for five years (2021-2025).

Read more

ViiV Healthcare and MPP expand access to dolutegravir-based regimens for people living with HIV in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Malaysia with an innovative new licensing agreement.

Read more
December

Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye and Prof. John-Arne Røttingen join MPP’s Governance Board.

Read more

MPP sublicenses sutezolid, an investigational drug for TB treatment, to the Gates Medical Research Institute, paving the way for clinical development.

Read more

WIPO joins MPP’s Governance Board as a non-voting member.

Read more
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
01 - 12

10 years: 10 lessons

Since 2010, and the foundation of MPP, much has happened – dozens of negotiations on public health licences, hundreds of partnerships across sectors, billions of doses of treatment supplied through MPP’s licences, and much more. And behind all these successes are hard-earned lessons that we have gathered, one lesson at a time. Each of these 10 precious lessons, as reflected in our partners’ voices, has made our foundation stronger than ever.

Turning impossible
into
possible
– By Ellen ‘t Hoen - Director, Medicines Law & Policy; founder and MPP’s first Executive Director
Read the lesson
Speed
- When lives
are at stake,
speed is
critical
– By Anil Soni - former Head of Global
Infectious Diseases, Viatris
(through its subsidiary Mylan)
Read the lesson
Affordability
– every cent counts
– By Precious Matsoso - former Director-General,
National Department of Health, South Africa
Read the lesson
Accessibility
– combatting epidemics
by increasing access to medicines
– By Deborah Waterhouse -
Chief Executive Officer,
ViiV Healthcare
Read the lesson
Availability
– the critical need for partnerships
– By The Global TB Programme,
World Health Organization (WHO)
Read the lesson
Inclusivity
– a slow and steady upward battle that continues
– By Wim Vandevelde - GNP+,
Global TB Community Advisory Board
Read the lesson
Equity
– towards
a fairer
society
– By Nelson Otwoma - Chief Executive Officer,
NEPHAK
Read the lesson
Sustainability
– perfecting
a mechanism
that lasts
– By Umesh K - Senior Vice President,
Global Antivirals, Aurobindo
Read the lesson
Transparency
– Setting
a gold
standard
– By Jayasree K. Iyer - Executive Director,
Access to Medicine Foundation
Read the lesson
Innovation
– pushing
limits
in paediatric
medicines
– By Chip Lyons - CEO and President,
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS
Foundation
Read the lesson
01 - 10
  • POSSIBLE 01
  • SPEED 02
  • AFFORDABILITY 03
  • ACCESSIBILTY 04
  • AVAILABILTY 05
  • INCLUSIVITY 06
  • EQUITY 07
  • SUSTAINABILITY 08
  • TRANSPARENCY 09
  • INNOVATION 10
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About MPP: Vision and Mission

In 10 years
18.55 billion
doses of treatment supplied

Vision

Our vision is 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 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.

Key features of MPP licences

Wide geographical scope
over 140 countries benefitting from MPP’s licences
Quality assured products
strict quality assurance policies
Non-exclusive
to encourage generic competition
Flexibility
to adapt to circumstances and achieve public health goals
Waivers
for data exclusivity
Complementarity
to other mechanisms and tools to facilitate access to treatments
Transparency
MPP’s licences are published on our website
Licence
management
to monitor compliance and prevent market leakage
Download this section
in 2020 37.6 million people globally were living
with HIV,
including
1.7 million children

HIV

34.7 million people have died
from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of
the epidemic

27.4 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy in 2020, an increase of 2m since 2019

26% of adults
47% of children

living with HIV still miss out on HIV treatment, of whom the vast majority live in low- and middle-income countries1

1UNAIDS, 2020 fact sheet (last accessed on 14 June 2021)
MPP's work in HIV(with maps per products)
Dolutegravir either on its
own or in combination (TLD)
has been supplied in 113 countries
> 27.3 million patient-years of treatments have
been supplied between 2017-2020
34% & 12% decline in average price of DTG and TLD
respectively between 2017-2020
333,5M
Top 10 countries supplied in 2020 with DTG and/or TLD combinations through our licensees
Botswana
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg21,120
Packs of 30's TLD5,530,492
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)380,000
Ethiopia
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg1,015,544
Packs of 30's TLD4,906,285
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)670,000
Kenya
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg1,952,176
Packs of 30's TLD11,110,778
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)1,500,000
Malawi
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg603,693
Packs of 30's TLD13,593,432
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)1,100,000
Mozambique
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg451,208
Packs of 30's TLD11,099,983
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)2,200,000
Nigeria
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg877,683
Packs of 30's TLD9,041,824
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)1,800,000
South Africa
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg1,462,582
Packs of 30's TLD28,075,902
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)7,500,000
Tanzania
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg537,345
Packs of 30's TLD15,884,050
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)1,700,000
Uganda
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg457,665
Packs of 30's TLD12,024,169
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)1,500,000
Zimbabwe
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg0
Packs of 30's TLD7,481,418
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)1,400,000
New countries
supplied in 2020
Angola
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg51,288
Packs of 30's TLD558,213
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)340,000
Chad
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg-
Packs of 30's TLD66,216
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)120,000
Ecuador
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg11,459
Packs of 30's TLD6,096
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)47,000
Eritrea
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg252
Packs of 30's TLD119,800
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)14,000
Gambia (the)
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg9,066
Packs of 30's TLD94,316
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)28,000
Indonesia
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg150,000
Packs of 30's TLD419,824
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)640,000
Niger
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg14,121
Packs of 30's TLD62,952
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)33,000
Panama
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg10,130
Packs of 30's TLD99,583
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)26,000
Philippines
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg5,250
Packs of 30's TLD197,260
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)97,000
Thailand
Packs of 30's DTG 50mg102,261
Packs of 30's TLD61,580
Estimated number of people living with HIV (Source UNAIDS)470,000
01 - 02
Globally, an estimated 58 million people have chronic hepatitis C infection with an important proportion developing cirrhosis or liver cancer
Direct acting antiviral medicines (DAAs) can cure >95% of patients But still, access to diagnosis and treatment is low, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where the vast majority of people with the virus live.

Hepatitis C

Access to hepatitis C treatment is improving but remains too limited.
In 2019,21%
of those living with the HCV infection knew their diagnosis.


Of those diagnosed with chronic HCV infection, 9.4 million people (62%) had been treated with DAAs by the end of 2019.


Much more needs to be done to achieve

80%

HCV treatment target by 20302.

2World Health Organization, Global report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021
MPP's WORK IN HEPATITIS C(with maps per products)

MPP's WORK IN HEPATITIS C

Top 10 countries supplied in 2020 with DAC and/or DAC combinations
India
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)865,452
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)6,076,000
Indonesia
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)15,284
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)1,360,000
Kazakhstan
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)36,777
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)374,000
Malaysia
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)10,703
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)386,000
Myanmar
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)25,431
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)376,000
Pakistan
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)78,565
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)6,840,000
Rwanda
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)43,999
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)97,400
Ukraine
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)22,605
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)1,352,000
Uzbekistan
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)12,633
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)1,005,000
Viet Nam
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)26,669
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)1,009,000
New countries
supplied in 2020
Argentina
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)504
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)317,000
Armenia
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)939
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)64,200
Cuba
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)1,224
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)55,500
Ethiopia
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)Under 500
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)641,000
Moldova
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)106
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)119,000
Philippines
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)Under 500
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)626,000
Tajikistan
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)100
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)252,000
Tanzania
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)886
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)467,000
Timor-Leste
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)Under 500
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)-
Turkmenistan
Treatments supplied (DAC and/or DAC/SOF)3,750
Estimated HCV Disease Burden (Source Polaris3)159,000
3https://cdafound.org/polaris/
01 - 02
TB is one of the top 10 killers globally & the leading cause of death for people living with HIV
in 2019 10 million people fell ill with TB, including 1.2 million children
1.4 million died from the disease, including 208,000 people with HIV

Tuberculosis

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. A global total of 206,030 people with multidrug- or rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) were officially diagnosed and notified in 2019, a 10% increase from 2018. Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To meet this target, faster-acting and better therapies to treat TB are urgently needed, particularly for MDR-TB4.

4World Health Organization, Fact Sheet, Tuberculosis, October 2020 (website accessed on 14 June 2021)
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MPP and COVID-19

COVID-19, the disease that dominated the world’s attention throughout 2020, was declared a pandemic by WHO on 11 March 2020. Shortly after, MPP swiftly realised that equitable access to medicines and technologies for COVID-19, as they become available, will be a key factor in determining how effectively we deal with this pandemic. In consequence, MPP’s Board expanded the organisation’s mandate to COVID-19 on 31 March 2020.

The following days and months saw MPP charting the possible roles it could play in defeating the new coronavirus. By applying its tested voluntary licensing and patent pooling model, MPP could:

  • Help fulfil the need for huge volumes of treatments through its generic manufacturing partners

  • Leverage its broad partnerships towards increasing the geographical reach of effective technologies, especially in low- and middle-income countries

  • Aid in bringing down the prices of medicines by introducing multiple generic players and driving healthy competition among them

  • Ensure quality of generic versions of licensed health products

  • Complement direct efforts of originators and public health organisations towards leaving no one behind

  • Provide a sustainable model that does not rely on a philanthropic approach to access – one-off charities, philanthropic donations etc.

MPP and Covid-19

Over the following months of 2020, MPP offered its experience to fight COVID-19:
March 2020

MPP’s mandate is expanded to include COVID-19 treatments and technologies.

Read more
May 2020

WHO calls MPP to join its COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP).

Read more
September 2020

MPP becomes part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) therapeutic pillar led by Unitaid and WHO.

October 2020

Manifesto for EU (European Union) COVID-19 research mentions voluntary pooling and licensing of intellectual property related to COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines as a key facet.

November 2020

MPP leads an open pledge with 21 generic manufacturing companies, who commit to working with MPP to fulfil the manufacturing demand for COVID-19 treatments, especially in LMICs.

Read more

G20 endorses voluntary licensing of intellectual property for COVID-19 products: “We have mobilised resources to address the immediate financing needs in global health to support the research, development, manufacturing, and distribution of safe and effective COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivise innovation. In this regard, we fully support all collaborative efforts, especially the ACT-A initiative and its COVAX facility, and the voluntary licensing of intellectual property.”

Read more
December 2020

UN General Assembly annual resolution on “Global health and foreign policy: strengthening health system resilience through affordable health care for all” (document A/75/L.41) encourages the use of existing mechanisms, such as the Medicines Patent Pool, to promote equitable, affordable and timely access to medical products and health technologies in health emergencies."

Read more
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
MAR
Read more on our work on COVID-19

MPP and access to
Essential Medicines

For too many, life-saving health products such as essential medicines are inaccessible, unaffordable or unavailable.
100 million people each year worldwide are driven into poverty because healthcare costs are too high.
In 2020, building upon the organisation’s work in essential medicines, MPP:

Engaged with pharmaceutical companies

Initiating exploratory talks with patent holders of essential medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiometabolic diseases and cancer, to gather industry perspectives and positions on the MPP model and explore potential willingness to partner with MPP to facilitate access to innovative products.

Signed a MoU with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)

to improve access to affordable and high-quality diabetes medicines in LMICs.

Joined forces with the World Heart Federation (WHF) on World Heart Day

to work closely in furthering the shared goal of promoting wide availability of quality, safe, effective and affordable essential medicines for better cardiovascular health.

Completed the inclusion in MedsPaL of medicines on the WHO EML:

this meant, in particular, the addition of biotherapeutics for NCDs that were added to the WHO EML in 20195.

Co-authored policy recommendations

With the World Heart Federation to improve access to NOACs (non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants) to make these life-saving innovations affordable and available in low-resource settings. The recommendations were published in the peer-reviewed journal Global Heart.

Initiated an assessment on a possible role for MPP in relation to biotherapeutics

With the inclusion of several biotherapeutics in the WHO EML over the past three revisions, the WHO Expert Committee requested MPP to consider the application of its model to biotherapeutics. In that context, MPP started an assessment that will be concluded in 2021.

5 These include adalimumab and alternatives certolizumab pegol, etanercept, golimumab and infliximab; nivolumab and alternative pembrolizumab Download this section

MPP’s work in long-acting therapeutics

Long-acting regimens for the treatment or prevention of chronic illnesses, such as weekly oral pills or monthly patches, injectables and implants, are emerging as game-changers in healthcare. These pioneering innovations offer people a simpler yet effective way of administering medicines that frees them from daily pills, helps them stay on treatment and reduces the burden on health systems.

2020 started as an exploratory phase in the long-acting space for MPP, and by year-end, it became an integral part of MPP’s ongoing work.

Read more

Here are snapshots

What happened at MPP in the long-acting space in 2020:

Addressing access barriers early in developmental cycle:

MPP partnered with all three of Unitaid-funded long-acting projects – MedinCell, the University of Liverpool and the University of Washington

“Innovation and Global Health” discussion:

During the third Long-Acting Injectables and Implantables Conference in La Jolla, California (6-7 February 2020): MPP co-organised the side event with MedinCell to raise awareness about access to health technologies in LMICs.

Satellite session on access to long-acting technologies at the AIDS2020 virtual conference:

MPP co-organised with Unitaid and WHO a satellite session titled “Harnessing access to long-acting technologies in low- and middle-income countries: are we on track to resolving the conundrum?”

MPP joined the Long-Acting/Extended Release Antiretroviral Resource Program (LEAP) TB and viral hepatitis working groups:

Bringing its expertise to shaping the long-acting agenda in these areas, for which availability of extended-release drugs and formulations could profoundly affect treatment.

MPP ENGAGED with community representatives, treatment advocates, civil society members, the research and development community and the industry throughout the year to seek their perspectives on the needs and wants related to long-acting technologies and formulations, as well as potential bottlenecks that MPP could help address.

Each of these engagements and activities brought MPP closer – one step at a time – to accelerating access to affordable quality revolutionary long-acting treatments in the countries where they are needed.

MedsPaL – MPP’s Medicines
Patents and Licences database

MedsPaL is a free resource that provides information on the intellectual property status of selected patented essential medicines in LMICs.

MedsPaL was launched in October 2016, focusing on medicines for three diseases: HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis. In December 2017, it was expanded to cover all patented medicines on the WHO EML. After the new WHO EML was released in July 2019, MedsPaL was updated to include patent information on the 18 newly listed medicines.

123
priority medicines
>130
low- and middle-income countries
>10,200
national patents and patent applications
55
licences

What’s new and notable in 2020

Inclusion of COVID-19 products at WHO’s request:
MPP began to add drugs in clinical trials for COVID-19. By the end of the year, it had added 11 candidates, including small molecules and biologics. Other medicines being tested for COVID-19 already included in the database were also flagged as COVID-19 candidates.
Addition of HIV and TB drugs and formulations:
added to the database are newly approved drugs, several paediatric formulations for the treatment of HIV, as well as new candidates in development for TB and HIV.
Incorporation of biologics added to the WHO EML in 2019.
NEW MoU SIGNED
with Costa Rica’s National Register (Registro Nacional Costa Rica), bringing the total number of patent offices with whom MPP has collaboration agreements to 14.
Structural update of the database: “patent families” have been restructured to improve the accuracy of the information being displayed. The user interface was further enhanced with the addition of a new search box allowing filtering of the content by “Disease Areas”.
Access MedsPaL Read more on MedsPaL’s partners supporting its regular update Download this section

MPP in the News

2020 brought MPP into the limelight on numerous occasions and in diverse contexts. With COVID-19 on the top of the global health agenda and MPP’s experience and model in access to medicines for other diseases, it was no surprise that a lot of MPP’s media mentions were related to COVID-19. MPP continued to bring even more life-saving treatments and access to HIV and hepatitis C medicines in 2020, and these achievements were newsworthy too! Here is a sample of news coverage on MPP in 2020.

The World Needs a Master Plan for Covid-19 Patents. We’re Creating One BARRONS | April 2020
COVID-19: Treatments, but at what cost? DAILY MAVERICK | April 2020
The WHO launched a voluntary COVID-19 product pool. What happens next? STAT NEWS | May 2020
Access to COVID-19 therapies: Pharma’s take HEIDI.NEWS | May 2020
COVID-19 puts a spotlight on the Medicines Patent Pool Devex | June 2020
Medicines Patent Pool can be a conduit for access to affordable COVID-19 treatments HEIDI.NEWS | June 2020
india’s drugmakers will be ‘essential’ in COVID-19 therapy production, says public health expert CNBC | November 2020
Global drugmakers pledge to help deliver potential COVID-19 treatments to poorer countries CNN | November 2020
Major generic makers will partner with Medicines Patent Pool to pursue voluntary licenses for Covid-19 drugs STAT NEWS | November 2020
Medicines Patent Pool expands deal for access to key HIV drug to several upper-middle-income countries STAT NEWS | November 2020
MPP agreement – New Adult DTG Formation For Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Malaysia Health Policy Watch | December 2020
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Governance and funders

The Expert Advisory Group (EAG) advises the Governance Board and the Executive Director on licence negotiations.
Read more
The Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) is composed of a pool of subject-matter experts who provide guidance and critical insights to the EAG and the Executive Director.
Read more
MPP’s funders Read more
MPP’s staff in 2020
Read more
MPP’s Governance Board
Marie-Paule Kieny (CHAIR)
Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye
Manica
Balasegaram
Patrizia
Carlevaro
Claudia
Chamas
Jinliang
Li
John-Arne
Røttingen
Jayashree
Watal
Amy
Dietterich
(WIPO, non-voting participant)
Mariangela Batista
Galvão Simão
(WHO, Non-voting participant)
The Governance Board is the supreme governing body of MPP that possesses the highest and most extensive authority concerning decision making and administration of the Foundation.
Read more
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Financial Report

Read the financial report