Global Challenges Report: Patent-based Analysis of the World Health Organization’s 2013 Model List of Essential Medicines

The objective of this report is to identify which of the 375 items on the 2013 Model List of Essential Medicines (MLEM) of the World Health Organization (WHO) (18th edition) are patented and where. Given the relative scarcity of patented medicines appearing on the 2013 MLEM and of those patents typically being filed in developing countries (15 per cent), the report concludes that targeted and fit-for-purpose solutions, such as voluntary licensing agreements for patented medicines being added to the MLEM, should be considered. It also discusses patent transparency as a more fundamental, yet promising policy intervention.