A WHO program will see some support from the Biden administration in the fight against Covid-19.
At the second Covid-19 Global Summit, the administration, through the NIH, decided to officially license 11 Covid-19 research tools and early-stage vaccine and diagnostic candidates. early. This will be done through the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a program supported by the UN, through the WHO Technology Access Pool (C-TAP).
The licenses will allow manufacturers around the world to work with MPP and C-TAP to use these technologies for the potential development of Covid-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. This will benefit people living in low- and middle-income countries.
Licensed technologies include SARS-CoV-2 stabilized spike protein, a patented invention included in several vaccines.
The C-TAP aims to boost the global supply of vaccines by facilitating the sharing of intellectual property, knowledge and data with manufacturers who can scale up production. The NIH has already granted non-exclusive licenses to companies to use the SARS-CoV-2 stabilized spike protein. However, granting additional access through the C-TAP program hopes to allow for broader access.
According to the WHO, other licensed tools include structure-based design of spike immunogens, pseudotyping plasmid, ACE2 dimer construction and a library of synthetic humanized llama nanobodies, among other diagnostic tools. The C-TAP program will also have access to several candidate vaccines. The United States will retain all of its existing rights to all licensed technologies.
This HHS decision was to come, according to a report by the Washington Post. Additionally, pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Merck have pre-arranged agreements with the Medicines Patent Pool to expand access to their Covid-19 antiviral pills.
“I salute the NIH’s generous contribution to C-TAP and its example of solidarity and sharing,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Whether it is the pandemic of today or the health emergency of tomorrow, it is by sharing and empowering low-income countries to build their own health tools that we can ensure a healthier future for all.”
