The consortium welcomed 14 new members including Merck and Kineta, as well as six institutions from the developing world
WIPO Re:Search signed on more than a dozen new members in 2014, including two leading pharmaceutical firms, and nearly doubled the number of research agreements using shared intellectual property to promote the fight against neglected tropical diseases, tuberculosis and malaria.
During WIPO Re:Search’s third full year of operation, the consortium welcomed 14 new members including Merck and Kineta, as well as six institutions from the developing world, where the targeted diseases are most prevalent.
As 2014 closed, 82 collaborations were in place among the 94 members, including 38 new agreements, nearly doubling the numbers of managed partnerships and surpassing the goal of 15 new agreements for the year.
Francis Gurry, Director General, WIPO said, “We are hopeful that these positive results will continue to grow in the coming years and lead to outcomes to alleviate the huge burden of neglected tropical diseases on already vulnerable populations.”
WIPO Re:Search allows organisations to share their intellectual property, compounds, expertise, facilities and know-how royalty-free with qualified researchers worldwide working on new solutions for these maladies, which affect more than one billion people across the globe.
Malaria and tuberculosis represented 44 per cent of all partnerships established by the end of 2014. Other collaboration cover an additional 12 neglected tropical diseases, with drug discovery continuing to be the primary focus of agreements established in 2014.
More information about WIPO Re:Search activities is available in “Catalyzing Partnerships for Global Health”, the 2014 Partnership Hub annual report from WIPO Re:Search partner BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH).
Jennifer Dent, President, BVGH welcomed the results in 2014 and expressed hope that this year will continue to see similar growth in collaborations.
“We are proud of what our members have accomplished through WIPO Re:Search to date. With 82 agreements established, WIPO Re:Search is poised to have an important impact on filling the pipelines for these devastating neglected diseases,” said Dent.
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