Medicines Patent Pool

The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a Unitaid-backed international organisation founded in July 2010,[1] based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its public health driven business model aims to lower the prices of HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis C medicines and facilitate the development of better-adapted HIV treatments through voluntary licensing and patent pooling. Its goal is to improve access to affordable and appropriate HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In May 2020, the MPP become an implementing partner of the WHO's Covid-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP).[2]

Peer-reviewed economics research find that the MPP substantially increased generic drug supplies, especially in countries with stronger patent protection; positive spillover effect to upstream innovation is found in clinical trials and drug product approvals in MPP-related drugs.[3] A related study found that there is an immediate and large increase in licensing of a life-saving drug in low- and middle-income countries when the patent is included in the MPP.[4] An article in The Conversation has summarized issues in the patent system, relevance to LMIC, and the role of the MPP.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference UNITAID_PP_20091215 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "COVID-19 technology access pool". World Health Organization. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  3. ^ Wang, Lucy Xiaolu (14 August 2022). "Global Drug Diffusion and Innovation with the Medicines Patent Pool". Journal of Health Economics. 85: 102671. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2022.102671. ISSN 0167-6296. PMID 36030748. S2CID 251576186.
  4. ^ Galasso, Alberto; Schankerman, Mark (2022). "Licensing Life-Saving Drugs for Developing Countries: Evidence from the Medicines Patent Pool". The Review of Economics and Statistics: 1–40. doi:10.1162/rest_a_01253. ISSN 0034-6535.
  5. ^ Wang, Lucy Xiaolu (5 December 2022). "Pharma's expensive gaming of the drug patent system is successfully countered by the Medicines Patent Pool, which increases global access and rewards innovation". The Conversation. Retrieved 10 December 2022.