Medicines Patent Pool

What Medicines Patent Pool does

Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a UN-backed international public health organization established by Unitaid in 2010 and structured as a Swiss foundation headquartered in Geneva. Its core function is voluntary patent pooling: MPP negotiates licensing agreements with originator pharmaceutical companies and sublicenses those rights to qualified generic manufacturers to enable affordable production of patented essential medicines for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The organization targets HIV, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, cancer, and increasingly non-communicable diseases and pandemic preparedness products. MPP works with 22-23 originator patent holders (including ViiV Healthcare, Novartis, and Roche), 15+ generic sublicensees, and reaches 148 LMICs.

MPP's technology stack centers on intellectual property transparency tools and a global licensing platform. Its MedsPaL database tracks over 32,000 patent applications across 208 health products and 203 jurisdictions, while AccessPaL monitors treatment uptake and LAPaL catalogs long-acting therapeutics. Beyond databases, MPP co-hosts the WHO mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, which has trained 13 LMIC manufacturers in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia, with three partners (Biovac, Sinergium, Bio-E) completing successful technology transfers by 2025. Reported cumulative impact includes 62.14 billion doses supplied to 148 LMICs (2010-2025), $2.6 billion in community savings, 6.7 million additional patient-years treated, 1.4 million DALYs averted, and a claimed 44.7x return on Unitaid investment.

MPP's business model is grant-funded, not revenue-generating. Unitaid is the primary funder under a third five-year grant (2021-2025), supplemented by governments (Swiss SDC, Canada, France, Japan, Germany, Flanders), Wellcome Trust, WIPO, and more recently Coefficient Giving. The model is non-commercial by design — MPP does not sell products or charge royalties on most licenses. Its 2026-2030 strategy formally expands into biotherapeutics, local/regional manufacturing, pandemic preparedness, and upstream access, indicating a broadening mandate rather than a narrowing one.

Name

Medicines Patent Pool

Legal name

Medicines Patent Pool

Website

https://medicinespatentpool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a UN-backed Swiss foundation that negotiates voluntary patent licenses between originator pharmaceutical companies and generic manufacturers to expand affordable access to essential medicines across 148 low- and middle-income countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Patent Licensing and Access Services

NAICS

Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAMAA

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Intellectual Property (IP) & Patent Services

SECONDARYHLAIABAM

Generic Tender & Government Supply Markets

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals/Generic Pharmaceuticals

SECONDARYHLAIAJAF

Government & Public-Sector Pharmaceutical Supply (Tender/Prime Vendor)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals/Pharmaceutical Distribution & Wholesaling

Keywords

• Voluntary patent licensing
• Public health access
• Generic medicine manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical patent pooling
• Essential medicines access

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Unitaid Funding: MPP was founded by and receives primary funding from Unitaid, an international financing mechanism. MPP functions under its third five-year grant agreement with Unitaid (2021-2025). Unitaid investments in MPP have generated 44.7x value through generic access expansion and price reductions.
2. Government and Philanthropic Funding: MPP receives funding from multiple governments and foundations including: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of Canada, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Japanese Government, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Government of Flanders, Wellcome Trust, WIPO, and Coefficient Giving.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Medicines Patent Pool is a UN-backed public health organization that negotiates voluntary patent licences from pharmaceutical innovators and sublicenses them to qualified generic manufacturers, enabling the production and supply of affordable versions of patented essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries. It also operates public patent information databases (MedsPaL, AccessPaL, LAPaL) and co-leads with WHO the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme to build regional vaccine manufacturing capacity.

Product overview

Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a UN-backed international public health organisation operating as a voluntary licensing and patent pooling mechanism. Its core offering consists of intellectual property management tools including the MedsPaL database for patent information, AccessPaL for tracking treatment access, and LAPaL for long-acting therapeutics. MPP facilitates voluntary licensing agreements with patent holders to enable generic manufacturing of essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on disease areas including HIV, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, cancer, and pandemic preparedness through its mRNA Technology Transfer Programme. The organisation's portfolio spans 44 licensed products through agreements with 22+ patent holders, covering antiretrovirals, direct-acting antivirals, long-acting technologies, and COVID-19 treatments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MedsPaL: Medicines Patents and Licences database - a free resource providing information on the intellectual property status of medicines, vaccines and health technologies for LMICs.
• AccessPaL
• LAPaL
• mRNA Technology Transfer Programme

Products and services

• MedsPaL (Medicines Patents and Licences Database) Free public database providing intellectual property status information for medicines, vaccines, and health technologies in low- and middle-income countries, covering 32,000+ patent applications for 208 health products across 203 jurisdictions.
• AccessPaL (Access to Medicines Tracker) Interactive tool that monitors access to HIV treatments beyond TLD, tracking quarterly availability of recently recommended treatment options in low- and middle-income countries.
• LAPaL (Long-Acting Therapeutics Database) Comprehensive database developed with the University of Liverpool covering the long-acting therapeutics landscape, including technologies, clinical trials, regulatory status, ease of administration, route of administration, and therapeutic-area classifications.
• mRNA Technology Transfer Programme Global initiative co-hosted with WHO to transfer mRNA vaccine manufacturing technology to LMIC manufacturers, with 13 partners trained and three (Biovac, Sinergium, Bio-E) producing first batches by 2025.
• Voluntary Licensing for Public Health Core public-health licensing mechanism through which patent holders grant voluntary licences to MPP, which sublicenses qualified generic manufacturers to produce and supply affordable generic essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries, covering 44 products through 22-23 patent-holder agreements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62.14 billion doses supplied to 148 LMICs through licensees (2010-2025)
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered major, strategic and core/flagship.

• RochemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026MPP and Roche signed license agreement to expand access to influenza treatment in low- and middle-income countries.
• Kenya BioVax InstitutestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Selected as one of six African countries in WHO and MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Programme. Will receive comprehensive end-to-end training in vaccine production. Kenya targeting domestic vaccine production by 2027 through $120 million World Bank-backed BioVax facility.
• SwiftPharmastrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025MOU for access-oriented licensing and transfer of plant-based technology to African manufacturers, contributing to regional bioproduction capacity and improved access to affordable prevention tools in LMICs.
• PATH (MADE Programme)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Unitaid programme MADE, led by PATH and receiving US$ 11 million, supports African companies in developing and scaling diagnostic test production for regional and global markets.
• USP (MedSuRe Africa Programme)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Unitaid programme MedSuRe Africa, led by USP with US$ 35.5 million, boosts production of essential medicines including HIV, malaria, and postpartum hemorrhage treatments, along with related quality testing infrastructure. MPP receives US$ 1.5 million for complementary work.
• Vizuri Health Dynamics FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025MOU signed to catalyze investments and improve market efficiency to strengthen local pharmaceutical production in Africa. Aims to better understand the sector landscape, support licensing and technology transfer efforts, strengthen local and regional manufacturing capacity, and promote adoption of quality locally produced medicines.
• Indonesia Ministry of HealthstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025MOU to improve access to vaccines and medicines in Indonesia. Goals include improving access to selected priority health products and strengthening local production of medicines and vaccines, including work through mRNA Technology Transfer Programme with BioFarma.
• BioFarma (Indonesian vaccine manufacturer)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Indonesian vaccine manufacturer participating in mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, working on domestic vaccine production capacity.
• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025MOU to collaborate on policies facilitating global access to LSTM's intellectual property portfolio. Aims to integrate access-oriented clauses such as Affordable Access Plan (AAP) provisions in licenses for early-stage medical technologies.
• Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025MOU to incorporate Affordable Access Plan provisions in early-stage licensing agreements and collaborate on design and implementation of access plans to facilitate access to vital new medicines worldwide.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership on 2024 report 'Voluntary Licensing: Right for Health, Smart for Business' showcasing how voluntary licensing advances global health while offering commercial advantages for biopharma companies. Co-funded by WIPO and Government of Canada.
• NovartismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022MPP agreement with Novartis enabled generic nilotinib for chronic myeloid leukaemia. 1.2 million capsules supplied to cancer patients in El Salvador, Indonesia, and Philippines by end of 2025.
• WHO (World Health Organization)core/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021MPP and WHO co-host the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, establishing the first mRNA vaccine manufacturing hub in South Africa. WHO and MPP collaborate on treatment guidelines, priority medicines listing, GAP-f pediatric formulations initiative, and pandemic preparedness. Letter of Intent signed with Afrigen, Biovac, SAMRC, and Africa CDC for COVID-19 vaccine tech transfer.
• Afrigencore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021South African biotech company created Africa's first end-to-end mRNA production site with GMP certification (2026). Afrigen hosts the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme hub, transferring technology to 15 companies across Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Funded by 39 million euro grant (2021-2026). Competing for CEPI proposals for Ebola vaccine development.
• European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021MOU for cooperation on IP (patents, technologies, and know-how) in health. Three axes: identifying mechanisms to encourage EU-funded beneficiaries to share IP with MPP; creating synergies through public health initiatives like ACT-Accelerator; and access to essential medicines.
• World Heart FederationstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020MOU to work closely on promoting broader accessibility to quality, safe, effective, and affordable essential medicines for better cardiovascular health.
• International Diabetes Federation (IDF)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020MOU to improve access to quality diabetes medicines in LMICs, expanding MPP's focus to non-communicable diseases.
• China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018MOU to improve collaboration and information exchange for MPP sublicensees based in China. Ensures Chinese sublicensees can obtain Certificates of Pharmaceutical Products (COPPs) from NMPA.
• Medicines For All Institute (M4ALL)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2018MOU enabling LMICs to access essential medicines more quickly through reduced costs of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018MOU signed to accelerate adoption of new treatments in developing countries. Collaboration to improve access to pediatric ARV formulations and more effective TB treatments, and explore other therapeutic areas of mutual interest.
• USAIDstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017MOU to accelerate introduction of affordable new medicines affecting developing countries. Partnership through OPTIMIZE consortium, funded by PEPFAR.
• OtsukastrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017MOU to make delamanid more accessible to children with multi-drug resistant TB. Defined collaboration points including seeking funding for third-party development and potential sublicensing.
• ICAP Columbia UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2017MOU to improve access to HIV treatment in LMICs. Partnership through OPTIMIZE consortium to facilitate market entry and adoption of priority medicines.
• TB AlliancestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2016MOU to encourage development of new TB treatments and ensure availability in LMICs. Second MOU in 2017 for sutezolid development through third-party sublicensing.
• National Patent Offices (ARIPO, EAPO, EPO, and 15+ others)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collaboration agreements with regional and national patent offices to share patent data for MedsPaL database, including ARIPO, EAPO, EPO, and offices in China, El Salvador, South Africa, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Egypt, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi): Non-profit R&D organization developing treatments for neglected diseases in LMICs. Comparable non-profit model, mission (access to essential medicines), and beneficiary population, though DNDi focuses on drug discovery/development rather than patent licensing for existing products.
• CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations): Funds vaccine development against emerging threats and partners with MPP/Afrigen on mRNA tech transfer. Most directly comparable peer in pandemic preparedness and LMIC manufacturing capacity-building, with overlapping partner network (Afrigen, Biovac, Sinergium).

Emerging players

• PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health): Global health non-profit leading Unitaid's MADE programme alongside MPP for African diagnostic manufacturing. Comparable LMIC health access focus and overlapping partner ecosystem, with broader product development scope.
• Access to Medicine Foundation: Non-profit that ranks pharmaceutical companies on access-to-medicine performance via the Access to Medicine Index. Comparable mission in incentivizing pharma access strategies, but operates through benchmarking/ranking rather than direct licensing.
• Knowledge Ecology International (KEI): Non-governmental organization focused on IP policy for access to medicines, advocating for compulsory licensing and pro-access IP reforms. Comparable mission (medicines access through IP reform) but operates through policy advocacy rather than licensing infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• WHO (World Health Organization): UN health agency that co-hosts MPP's mRNA tech transfer programme and recommends MPP-enabled treatments. Comparable LMIC health access mandate but operates at a much broader policy and normative level.
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Public-private partnership that finances vaccine access in lower-income countries. Comparable LMIC access mission and works alongside MPP's mRNA tech transfer program; differs in focusing on vaccine procurement/financing rather than IP licensing.
• Unitaid: MPP's founder and primary funder; a global health financing mechanism that invests in innovations to address HIV, TB, and malaria. Highly comparable in mission (access to medicines in LMICs) but operates as a funder/investor rather than as a patent pooling intermediary.
• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization): UN agency that co-funds MPP's Voluntary Licensing Report and shares MPP's mandate on IP and public health. WIPO operates at a much broader policy level across all IP categories, while MPP specializes specifically in pharmaceutical patent pooling for LMIC access.
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Largest multilateral financing mechanism for HIV, TB, and malaria programs in LMICs; partners with MPP-licensed generic manufacturers for procurement. Comparable in disease focus and LMIC mandate but operates as a financing/procurement entity rather than IP intermediary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MedsPatentPool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MedicinesPatentPool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medicines-patent-pool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Medicines Patent Pool