WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) have finalized a licensing agreement with the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the development of innovative therapeutics, early-stage vaccines, and diagnostic tools for COVID-19. 

The transparent, global, and non-exclusive license will enable manufacturers from across the world to work with MPP and C-TAP to make these technologies available to people living in low-and middle-income countries and help end the pandemic. 

11 COVID-19 technologies are offered under the two licenses, and they include the stabilized spike proteins used in currently available COVID-19 vaccines, research tools for a vaccine, therapeutic and diagnostic development, and early-stage vaccine candidates and diagnostics. The 11 technologies include perfusion spike proteins, structure-based design of spike immunogens, pseudotyping plasmid, ACE2 dimer construct, synthetic humanized Ilama nanobody library and related use, Newcastle disease virus-like particles displaying perfusion-stabilized spikes, parainfluenza virus 3 based vaccine, a VSV-EBOV-based vaccine, RNASEH-assisted detection assay for RNA, detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA virus, and high throughput diagnostic test. 

C-TAP aims to facilitate timely, equitable, and affordable access to COVID-19 health products by boosting their production and supply through open, transparent, and non-exclusive licensing agreements. MPP provides the licensing expertise to this initiative and holds the license.