Understanding and managing intellectual property for HIV vaccine research and development

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the obstacles posed by intellectual property and in particular patents on vaccine design, manufacture, and clinical testing. To date, there are more than 100 patents related to mRNA technology, encompassing not just the production of mRNA but also various elements crucial for vaccine development, including lipid nanoparticles for encapsulation and technology for optimizing RNA sequences

Navigating the intricate web of patents poses a significant challenge to research efforts, potentially causing delays in the development of crucial vaccines. While patents are relevant when a company intends to market a product, access to technology should be possible and encouraged for non-commercial research purpose.

With mRNA playing a more prominent role in designing and testing HIV vaccines products, understanding and navigating this landscape is now essential for HIV vaccine research and development (R&D).

To tackle the challenges associated with intellectual property management in R&D, the IAS HIV Vaccine Industry Partnership together with Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise are hosting this event to give an overview of the complexity of intellectual property related to vaccine technologies, to highlight the obstacles hindering the sharing of intellectual property for vaccine development, and to gain insights into effective strategies for overcoming these barriers.
7 October 2024
English
Chairs
Nelli Barriere

Nelli Barrière

International AIDS Society

Shan Lu

Worcester HIV Vaccine

Tetsuro Matano

Tetsuro Matano

National Institute of Infectious Diseases

Speakers
Gabriela Costa Chaves

Gabriela Costa Chaves

Disentangling the mRNA web of patents
Petro Terblanche

Petro Terblanche

Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines

Managing IP for vaccine manufacture
Esteban Burrone

Esteban Burrone

Medicines Patent Pool

Negotiating public-health intellectual property licensing agreements to increase access to health technologies
Esteban Burrone

Esteban Burrone

Medicines Patent Pool

Glenda Gray

Glenda Gray

South African Medical Research Council

Petro Terblanche

Petro Terblanche

Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines

Komal Kalha

Komal Kalha

International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations

Susan Barnett

Susan Barnett

Panel discussion