UNITAID is hiring!

The UNITAID Medicines Patent Pool Initiative has been met with a great degree of interest at the International AIDS Conference this week. 

The medicines patent pool will be managed by the Medicines Patent Pool Foundation (MPPF), which will soon open for business and will be in a position to begin formal negotiations with the patent holders. The Medicines Patent Pool Foundation will initially focus exclusively on antiretrovirals (ARVs).

Discussions with a number of key ARV patent holders over the past few months have been encouraging. Some patent holders have expressed considerable interest in the initiative, and have been commended for that, including in the recently published Access to Medicines Index. However, contrary to some of this week’s media reports, no licensing agreements have been reached with any patent holders; recent and current conversations with the patent holders have been preliminary to the Medicines Patent Pool Foundation becoming fully operational.

Globalizing Solidarity: The Case for Financial Levies

"Innovative financing mechanisms have demonstrated their potential for securing additional resources for distribution to low-income countries. The success of the air ticket solidarity levy, as well as the governing body of revenue (UNITAID, International Drug Purchase Facility) has shown it is possible to meet long-term needs through non-traditional financing mechanisms."

Read the full report here, or visit the website: http://www.leadinggroup.org/article668.html.

The HIV/AIDS Department of WHO has issued a note to National AIDS Programmes, procurement agents, and stakeholders on the potential stock-out of paediatric ddl 25mg and 50mg buffered tablets. In the note, WHO recommends a series of short-term actions to minimize the impact of a potential stock-out of paediatric ddl 25mg and 50mg. In addition, a number of longer-term actions are also recommended with the aim of rationalizing the use of ddl products in children in line with the new WHO normative guidance on the use of ARVs in second-line therapy.

The Note is downloadable from:
http://www.who.int/hiv/who_note_ddi_11.pdf

The French Government has recently announced that their contribution to UNITAID for 2009 has been increased by an additional 31.5 million Euros.

The total French contribution for 2009 is then 141.5 million Euros.

Thank You to France.