7 November 2019
Although neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second cause of deaths worldwide, access to affordable drugs to treat neurological patients is appallingly low in most countries.
The Lancet Neurology published an article in December 2019 on the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF)’s application to include three disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (glatiramer acetate, fingolimod, and ocrelizumab) submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) Model list of Essential Medicines (EML).
Indeed, as the editorial stresses out, there is a pressing need to include more neurological treatments on the WHO EML. The Lancet also mentions that MPP’s access-oriented voluntary licensing strategy could help improve access to neurological treatments in resource-limited settings.
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Press and Media
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to and facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries. Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with civil society, governments, international organisations, industry, patient groups, and other stakeholders to prioritise and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.
To date, MPP has signed agreements with 22 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, a post-partum haemorrhage medicine, three oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and 16 COVID-19 technologies.
MPP was founded by Unitaid, which continues to be MPP’s main funder. MPP’s work on access to essential medicines is also funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of Canada, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of Flanders. MPP’s activities in COVID-19 are undertaken with the financial support of the Japanese Government, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and SDC.