REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS-SENIOR PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTIST CONSULTANCY

Background

The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a global coalition of PLHIV and community activists working to achieve universal access to optimal HIV, HCV and TB treatment of those in need. Formed in 2003 by a group of 125 HIV activists from 65 countries at a meeting in Cape Town, ITPC actively advocates for treatment access in eight regions across the globe. ITPC believes that the fight for treatment remains one of the most significant global social justice issues.

The project ‘Use of TRIPS Flexibilities to Increase Affordability of Treatment for HIV, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C Virus in Middle-income Countries’aims to address a critical gap in the global HIV response: access in some LMICs and in UMICs to newer, optimized antiretrovirals (ARVs) for preventing and treating HIV. Access to newer medicines that can cure tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), two common, dangerous coinfections, among people living with HIV, is also necessary. Optimized ARVs are essential to reaching global HIV treatment targets, enacting the WHO ‘treat all’ recommendation and addressing the growing threat of resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), which are widely used in first-line treatment. Considering ongoing COVID-19 pandemic ensuring affordability of potential COVID-19 treatments in middle-income countries is an important component of global response.

The use of TRIPS flexibilities, as recommended by the UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines, will be necessary to improve access to optimized ARVs, TB medicines and DAAs in some LMICs and UMICs. The combined use of different flexibilities by multiple partners can act in synergy. Patent oppositions have proven to be an effective strategy to enable cost savings and put more people on treatment. During the past three years, ITPC, in partnership with the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA), FGEP, The Network, and AIDS Access Foundation (AAF) has challenged thirteen patents on key ARVs. These patent oppositions led to cumulative savings of US$472 million.

In order to file new patent oppositions in the scope of existing project ITPC consortium hubs shall need technical assistance in preparation and cross-check of scientific arguments for patent oppositions. Capacity of local chemists plays crucial role in ability of local CSOs to prepare and file patent oppositions.

Service Provider Scope of Work

ITPC wishes to engage a Senior Pharmaceutical Scientist I consultant, who will conduct patent opposition templates development work.

Consultant upon request from ITPC shall:

1. Conduct preparation of scientific arguments for MMA consortium countries (https://makemedicinesaffordable.org/where-we-work/) patent oppositions or invalidation lawsuits by preparation of patent oppositions templates for HIV, HCV, TB and COVID-19 medicines (including vaccines) requested by ITPC;
2. Cross-check and provide inputs to draft templates prepared by other scientists;
3. Meaningfully participate in ITPC regular technical virtual calls of scientific team and webinars on presentation of PO templates.

Duration of Service Provision:

• Start date: 17 October 2022
• End date: 31 December 2023

Qualification/Eligibility Requirements to Provider:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in developing scientific arguments for patent oppositions
• Graduate degree in chemistry or pharmacy
• Experience and/or academic training in public health, health policy, or related field is a plus;
• Postgraduate degree in relevant field
• Fluency in English
• Experience in collaboration with community-based organizations on patent oppositions work

Method of Selection

Quality and Cost-Based Selection method shall be used to determine the winner. The following selection criteria with relative weight of criteria showed in percentages shall be used for selection for the bidders’ proposals that meet all obligatory qualification/eligibility requirements above and that essentially meet the above scope and deliverables:

1. Qualifications and experience of the consultant in working on the subjects detailed above (relative weight 20%) – shall be assessed based on CV or description of experience;
2. Quality of previous work and reports developed by the consultant (relative weight 30%) – shall be assessed based on example(s) of previous written patent oppositions related works/reports done by the candidate consultant;
3. Previous experience of collaboration with CSOs filing patent oppositions on medicines at national level (20%) – shall be assessed based on CV or description of experience;
4. Daily rate demanded by the consultant to achieve the work required (relative weight 30%) – shall be assessed based on provided quotation.

Compensation shall be provided in partial payments on a monthly basis for work completed, satisfactory to ITPC’s quality of service, but not more than for 83 days of work. Payment will be made within 30 days upon delivery of the monthly invoice.