Medicines Patent Pool Names New Director

Greg Perry, a longtime leader in the European generics industry, has been named the new executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool, a cutting-edge Geneva-based group working to increase access to affordable, high-quality medicines for HIV/AIDS patients in low and middle income countries.

The Patent Pool, spun off from World Health Organization affliliate UNITAID in 2010, lowers prices on medicines by creating a pool of relevant patents for licensing to generic manufacturers.

Since 1999, Perry has been director general of the European Generic Medicines Association, which he found in 1993, according to the Patent Pool. He is a founding member of the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance and has been on its management committee since 1997. Prior to joining the generics industry, Greg advised corporate and non-governmental organisations on European Union legislation and policy, the group said.

The Patent Pool’s first executive director, Ellen ‘t Hoen, left earlier this year under prior agreement (IPW, Public Health, 16 April 2012), and General Counsel Chan Park has served as interim executive director.

Perry’s “long experience representing the generic pharmaceutical industry in Europe and globally will be invaluable in taking forward the work of the Medicines Patent Pool as it continues seeking licences which will enable more people living with HIV to be treated with affordable generic drugs,” Charles Clift, chair of the Medicines Patent Pool Governance Board, said in the release.

Perry said: “By creating a partnership between patent holders and generic producers through the Medicines Patent Pool, access to HIV medicines can be expanded to the 34 million people currently living with HIV that will all likely need treatment. Through patent pooling, quality, cutting edge treatments can be made more easily available for all people with HIV, and the development and production of critically needed fixed dosed combinations (FDCs) and paediatric formulations can be enhanced.”

Perry is expected to start in early January.

The European Generics Medicines association press release is here.

IP-Watch background stories on the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) are here and here.