REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS-RESEARCH STUDY ON LOCAL PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING AND IP-RELATED POLICIES

Background & Rationale

ITPC Global was birthed in 2003 in Cape Town, South Africa, by a committed group of 125 HIV activists from 65 countries who refused to accept a world in which people living with HIV were denied access to life-saving medicine. As ITPC Global grew into a Global Activist Network (GAN) advocating for the needs of communities affected by HIV and TB, it also laid the groundwork for community-driven work extending beyond singular diseases and addressing the systemic issues affecting people’s health and quality of life— exposing and resisting entrenched global power dynamics that consistently prioritize privilege and profit over the right to health and dignity. Today, we celebrate 20 years, highlighting progress in the fight for equitable access and affordability to treatment, amplifying community power, and building resilience within communities.

The Solidarity Project aims to improve public health outcomes (incidence, prevalence, and reductions in morbidity and mortality) by improving the affordability of key patented health products for HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, cervical cancer, and any public health emergencies in 24 LMICs. The Solidarity Project, which complements other access strategies such as voluntary licenses, aims to address IP barriers in 24 LMICs, by working within the framework of national laws and international agreements such as the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to facilitate price reductions through market entry of key generic and biosimilar products (GBPs).

Access to affordable medicines in low- and middle-income countries remains constrained by intellectual property (IP) barriers, limited local manufacturing capacity and dependence on imports.

Over the past 70 years, developing countries have pursued different industrial and IP policies to strengthen domestic pharmaceutical production, with varying results. Changes in international trade rules, particularly the WTO TRIPS Agreement, have reshaped the policy space available to governments.

This study aims to draw lessons from these experiences and identify policy options to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing in developing countries, reduce pharmaceutical dependence and improve access to medicines.

Consultant Scope of Work

The consultancy will produce a research paper examining the historical development of pharmaceutical manufacturing in the Global South and identify policy lessons to strengthen local production.

The analysis will:

• Review the evolution of local manufacturing since World War II, including the role of industrial policies and government interventions.
• Assess the impact of structural adjustment programmes, WTO agreements, including TRIPS, on manufacturing capacity and import dependence.
• Examine country experiences, including relevant Solidarity Project countries, and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Identify policy options to strengthen local production, including market access, technology transfer, financing, R&D and the use of TRIPS flexibilities.

Deliverables

The consultant will provide:

1. Draft version of the research paper.
2. Final version incorporating feedback from ITPC.
3. Online or in-person presentations of the findings at three events.

Paper should provide evidence-based analysis and actionable recommendations to inform advocacy and policy discussions on local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Duration of Consultancy

• The consultancy will run from Q4 2026 to Q2 2027, for a maximum of 40 days.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Demonstrated experience of at least 10 years in pharmaceutical policy, industrial development, intellectual property or access to medicines.
• Strong research and analytical skills, including experience conducting comparative policy analysis.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturing in developing countries and relevant international trade and IP frameworks.
• Experience producing research papers and policy recommendations.
• Advanced degree in economics, public policy, global health, intellectual property or a related field preferred.

Compensation

Compensation will be provided in two instalments, one at mid-term and one upon completion, subject to satisfactory delivery of the agreed outputs. Payments will be processed within 30 days of receipt of the corresponding invoices.

English