E-DRUG: Medicines Patent Pool Launches Resource to Increase Access to HIV Medicines
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Medicines Patent Pool Launches Patent Information Resource to Aid People
Working To Increase Access to HIV Medicines
GENEVA, 4 April 2011 - The Medicines Patent Pool today announces the launch
of a new database of patent information that will help shed light on
where key patents exist for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the treatment of
HIV/AIDS in developing countries.
The database is the most complete single source of open access information
about these critical public health related patents in developing countries.
It was developed by the Pool with the support of the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) and a wide range of national and regional
patent offices that helped to provide and validate information on the legal
status of patents.
The ARV patent database provides a unique and powerful resource for people
trying to understand the complex landscape of ARV patents, especially those
working to increase access to medicines in developing countries, said Ellen
t Hoen, executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool, an innovative
voluntary licensing mechanism established with the support of UNITAID in
July 2010.
Reliable patent status information is often hard to come by, though it is
essential to our work in negotiating licenses. After compiling this
information with the aid of WIPO, it was a logical next step to put it in
the public domain where it can be used and improved upon by others, t Hoen
said.
Patent information is a vital source of economic and technological
intelligence. WIPO has made a commitment to developing countries to
facilitate access to patent information, and we were pleased to be able to
make available our services in cooperation with national and regional patent
offices. said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. The work of WIPO was a
pilot project of its Patent Information Services.
The lack of access to medicines has many causes, but confusion over who is
legally able to manufacture or import medicines in what country can delay
needed treatments in places where there are in fact no legal barriers or
where barriers can be overcome.
The patent status database contains a fully searchable listing of patents on
23 antiretroviral medicines (including some pipeline products) - for 67
countries represented by 29 national and regional patent offices, and is
growing as more data become available. It includes information on who holds
the patent, reference numbers for patent applications, expected dates of
patent expiration, and in which countries the patents have been filed for,
granted, withdrawn or do not apply. The latter information could not have
been collected without generous and valuable cooperation that WIPO received
from the IP Offices concerned.
About the Medicines Patent Pool
The Medicines Patent Pool was created to improve the health of people living
with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries by increasing access to
quality, safe, efficacious, more appropriate and affordable medicines. The
Pool does this by negotiating voluntary licences for patents on HIV
medicines. The easier availability of patent licenses will encourage robust
generic competition to bring down prices and also help pave the way for
innovation on needed new medicines.
About UNITAID
UNITAID is an innovative financing mechanism dedicated to scaling up the
treatment of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It was established in 2006 by
the governments of Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the United Kingdom;
since then, UNITAID has committed nearly US$ 500 million for AIDS treatment
in low- and middle-income countries.
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Kaitlin Mara
Communications Manager
Medicines Patent Pool
www.medicinespatentpool.org
direct line: +41 22 791 6344
mobile: +41 79 825 4786
kmara@medicinespatentpool.org