Box 4.

The first five years of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).

The MPP after five years of operation has signed voluntary licenses for 17 medicines, including one hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug with nine patent holders and 59 sub-licenses with 20 generic manufacturers. Generic companies with licenses from the MPP have supplied 14.6 million patient-years of WHO-recommended ARVs in 131 countries. The MPP licenses enable the manufacturing of generic adult formulations of ARVs and their sale in up to 131 countries where between 87% and 91% of PLHIV in LMIC live. Paediatric formulations cover up to 99% of children with HIV. The MPP agreements have saved US$391 million through lower prices of ARVs [63].