25 January 2024
MPP’s written submission to the 154th session of the Executive Board of the WHO (document EB152/12)
Statement delivered under:
Pillar 2: One billion more people better protected from health emergencies.
Speaker: Tiwadayo Braimoh
Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) notes paragraphs 6 and 7 of the report on health emergency prevention, preparedness, and response (EB154/5).
While transitioning the management of the COVID-19 pandemic to a more sustainable approach, it is important to ensure that equitable access to countermeasures remains in focus, not just for COVID-19 but also future pandemics. MPP would like to highlight the need to build on and strengthen mechanisms such as licensing and technology transfer through which several affordable versions of COVID-19 treatments are now available to low- and middle-income countries. It is also important to sustain the capacities being built through the mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer programme.
MPP continues to be available to work with the WHO and partners to build on lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic for equitable access to innovative health technologies in the future.
Thank you!
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.