BioHub Alliance: Regional Biologic Manufacturing Hubs with Compulsory License Fast-Track
Establish regional biologic manufacturing hubs (Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia) that hold pre-negotiated compulsory license agreements with originator companies, activated within 90 days of WHO Essential Medicine listing. Each hub handles 3-5 biologic products simultaneously, reducing per-dose costs by 60-75%. Hubs are co-owned by regional governments, funded through CEPI/Gavi advance purchase commitments.
Biotech IP Buyout Fund: Advance Market Commitments to Acquire and Open Critical Patents for Global Access
Create a $10B Biotech IP Buyout Fund that acquires full ownership of critical biotech patents — primarily for diseases and crops of highest LMIC relevance — and places them in the public domain or a managed commons. Funding: G7 governments contribute in proportion to GDP ($3.5B from US, $2.5B from EU, $2B from Japan, $2B from others). Patent selection: independent scientific panel prioritizes patents where open access would generate greatest public health and food security benefit. Valuation: patents purchased at 2-3x revenue multiple using independent appraisal — above market in some cases to incentivize voluntary sale; below market for patents where compulsory licensing is legally available (creating negotiating leverage). First targets: (1) Agricultural — 5 CRISPR gene editing tool patents blocking affordable crop improvement; 12 disease resistance trait patents critical for climate-resilient varieties; (2) Medical — foundational patents blocking affordable vaccine and diagnostic production for 6 neglected tropical diseases. Economic case: $10B investment in patent buyouts eliminates an estimated $140B in annual LMIC technology access costs over 20 years — a 14x return on investment in avoided costs alone.
Essential Biotech Commons: A Global Patent Pool and Open License Platform for Critical Agricultural and Medical Biotechnologies
Establish the Essential Biotech Commons (EBC) — a patent pool and open licensing mechanism for biotechnologies deemed essential for food security or public health, modeled on the Medicines Patent Pool but covering both agricultural and medical biotech. Mechanism: (1) Essentiality designation — an independent panel designates specific biotech tools, traits, and processes as "Essential Biotechnologies" based on criteria of critical need, LMIC inaccessibility, and lack of adequate alternatives; (2) Compulsory contribution — patent holders of Essential Biotechnologies are required to offer licenses to the pool at regulated royalty rates (0.5-3% of LMIC sales, nil for least developed countries); (3) Open license platform — LMIC researchers and manufacturers access pool licenses through a standardized, low-cost process (annual fee of $500 for research use, $2,000-10,000 for commercial use in LMICs); (4) Technology transfer requirement — licenses include obligation on original patent holder to provide minimum technical assistance. Scope: 500 agricultural biotech tools and 300 medical biotech patents designated essential in Year 1. Revenue: pool generates $150-300M annually in royalties, funding technology transfer and EBC operations.