C-TAP initiative

About C-TAP initiative: 

• It was launched in May 2020 by the WHO and the Government of Costa Rica with the support of 44 Member States, UN Development Programme, Unitaid, UNAIDS, and implementing partners such as MPP.
• It works under the principles of the Solidarity call to action.
• It was designed to serve as a platform for developers of COVID-19 therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccines and other health products to voluntarily share their intellectual property, knowledge, and data to accelerate technological innovation and expand global production capacity.

What is the Medicines Patent Pool?

• It is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to and facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries.
• Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with civil society, governments, international organisations, industry, patient groups, and other stakeholders to prioritise and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.

Q1) What is a patent?

A patent is a legal protection granted by a government to inventors or creators of novel and useful inventions or innovations. It provides the patent holder with exclusive rights to make, use, and sell the invention for a specified period, typically 20 years from the date of filing the patent application.

Source: WHO initiative signs new licensing agreements on COVID-19 technologies