3 November 2023
From South Africa, to India and Kenya, in many low- and middle-income countries, access to innovative cancer medicines is a challenge. “Nowadays it’s better if you have HIV than if you have cancer, because cancer is a killer disease. Cancer treatment is very expensive. If you are living a poor life like now me, you can’t manage it.” Josefine from Nairobi, Kenya.
The Medicines Patent Pool negotiates licences with originators on patented essential medicines, and then sublicenses to generic manufacturing partners for faster access to affordable versions of these medicines in low- and middle-income countries. “Now, with these partnerships between the innovators and the generic companies, some other molecules are being available, which are affordable for people with cancers in resource-limited settings.” Dr N. Kumarasamy, Voluntary Health Services (VHS) hospital, Chennai, India.
More information on the Medicines Patent Pool: https://medicinespatentpool.org/
More information on our licence agreement with Novartis for nilotinib: https://medicinespatentpool.org/progress-achievements/licences #Access2Meds #PublicHealth #GlobalHealth #HealthForAll #leavingnoonebehind #cancer #nilotinib #globalhealth #accesstomedicines #accesstohealth
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 innovative medicines and other health technologies 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 health products 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 and Coeffient Giving. MPP’s activities in technology transfer are undertaken with the financial support of the Japanese Government, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation, the Government of Flanders and SDC.