The problem
Many developing countries around the world do not have access to affordable, lifesaving medicines. Public health initiatives that increase competition, such as voluntary licensing, have brought about significant price reductions for medicines to treat HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis C, but in some cases voluntary licenses may not grant access to all developing countries.
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Our response
The project equipped ministries of health to identify where patents deter the production and procurement of affordable, quality medicines. By increasing the capacity of patent examiners, the project helped assure the quality of the patents that are issued. Our partner, South Centre, leveraged its experience and links with governments to offer specialized training to address intellectual property barriers and enable greater access to medicines.
