Over 300,000 messages of support help realise creation of UNITAID’s patent pool
Geneva, 16 December 2009 - Great news: thanks in no small part to the participation of thousands of individuals in the Make It Happen Campaign launched by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), UNITAID has announced the creation of the Patent Pool for AIDS medicines.
As the UNITAID Board gathered to decide whether to go ahead and set up the patent pool on 14 December, over 300,000 emails, as well as thousands of letters from MSF offices and field programmes had been sent directly to CEOs and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry as a part of the Make it Happen Campaign. The e-action platform launched in 14 countries in nine languages, and in two months empowered individuals to actively support the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide by demanding that pharmaceutical companies put their patents in the pool.
“It was clear that the Board knew the world was watching and cared about the outcome of this decision...Without the mass mobilisation of support, this would not have been the case.”
-- Michelle Childs, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Access Campaign
The UNITAID Board has now decided to set up and fund the licensing agency that will run the Pool. Once this agency is established, formal negotiations with drug companies can begin.
The Patent Pool must benefit patients in all developing countries
The Patent Pool’s success will be judged on its ability to meet public health needs. Critical to meeting these needs will be guaranteeing that patients in countries categorised as ‘middle-income’ are not excluded from the Pool’s benefits.
MSF previously voiced its concern that pharmaceutical companies were seeking to exclude middle-income countries from benefiting from the Pool. The UNITAID Board re-affirmed its commitment to all developing countries, including those classified as ‘middle-income’ during discussions, however as the Patent Pool will be voluntary, its ultimate success will depend on the willingness of patent holders to put their patents in the pool and agree to allow these countries to benefit.
"Now that the pool has been given a green light, patent holders need to move from expressions of general support to firm and formal licence commitments," said Michelle Childs.
Although the Patent Pool provides a new, additional option for improving access to medicines for governments and patients, MSF remains committed to supporting a variety of tools including compulsory licensing and patent oppositions.
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