Dates: 30 June 2020
In 2014, MPP entered into a voluntary licence agreement with ViiV Healthcare for dolutegravir (DTG), WHO’s recommended HIV treatment. Since then, generic DTG-based treatments supplied through MPP’s licences have reached more than 5 million people living with HIV across nearly 100 low- and middle-income countries.
Leading up to the 23rd International AIDS Conference, MPP organized a virtual roundtable bringing together some of the key players that made the scale up of antiretrovirals possible. The panel, moderated by MPP’s Board Chair Marie-Paule Kieny, discussed how the MPP model changed the HIV landscape, and reflected on how the lessons learned can be applied to the fight against COVID-19.
Nelson Otwoma, Executive Director, NEPHAK
In Kenya, we had access only to patented drugs that were very expensive in our setting and people could not afford. With Medicines Patent Pool and their partner Unitaid, generic competition has come up and therefore there is widespread access. The coming of DTG has been appreciated by communities and many people with HIV in Kenya because it is well tolerated and one pill daily, therefore adherence has been improved.
Carmen Pérez Casas, Senior Strategy Manager, Unitaid
The MPP and ViiV announcing the licensing agreement early in 2014, just 2 months after the approval of the originator product was indeed a record time that enabled all of us to be here where we are today.
Helen McDowell, Head of Government Affairs & Global Public Health, ViiV Healthcare By collaboration, we can work together and really help make sure that the optimal products get to patients who need them as quickly as possible. The essence is partnerships & collaboration. We have learnt a lot together on this journey with DTG and I am sure there is still more to come.
Helen McDowell, Head of Government Affairs & Global Public Health, ViiV Healthcare
By collaboration, we can work together and really help make sure that the optimal products get to patients who need them as quickly as possible. The essence is partnerships & collaboration. We have learnt a lot together on this journey with DTG and I am sure there is still more to come.
Anil Soni, Head of Global Infection Diseases, Mylan
The MPP is providing a lifesaving service. In the case of HIV and HCV, remarkably effective treatments like DTG and DAC have been developed but their original development and launch is typically in high-income countries but as we know most of the disease burden is in low- and middle-income countries and licences and partners who facilitate those licences, like MPP, bridge that gap. In certain cases, the licences are only available through the MPP.
Tadala Hamisi-Mengezi, Department of HIV and AIDS, Ministry of Health Malawi
Malawi made the decision to switch to DTG-based regimens as far back as 2017. Currently we receive TLD from about 4 manufacturers, which means our demand is met. We have not had any problems with our supply-demand situation, we have not had any stockouts thus far. Just to mention, one interesting side effect we have had is erectile dysfunction in clients transitioning to TLD, which we have reported to WHO and we continue to monitor it. We look forward to finalising our transition in Malawi.
Yogan Pillay, Country Director, South Africa, Clinton Health Access Initiative
To date, we have about 1 million people who have transitioned or have been initiated on TLD. The intention is to have reached about 2.7 million by December 2020. There were initial issues around transitioning patients both from patients themselves as well as from their clinicians. Now these issues have been eroded – we currently do not have clinician or patient reluctance to transition. Another issue that certainly helped in the transition from policy perspective was the savings that we were able to project in the movement from TE to TLD. When we took the decision in late 2018, early 2019, we had projected quite a significant amount of savings, which we then used to also get our politicians to agree to switching from TE to TLD.
Esteban Burrone, Head of Policy and Advocacy, Medicines Patent Pool
In every country, there’s a story to be told. The story is one of a lot of partners working – governments, civil society groups advocating and demanding access, treatment programs and a whole range of different people playing an incredible role to make this all possible.
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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.