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Contributions from
the Column
Facts and trends
Rich countries should pay
for environmental damage
Accountability in the health sector
AIDS: Brazil to ignore patents
It’s the price that counts
New government for Somalia
AIDS: Indian generic drugs back on WHO list
German opposition calls for interest-oriented development policy
The miserly rich
01/2005
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AIDS: Brazil to ignore patents
Brazil has announced its intention to produce a number of new AIDS drugs this year, without seeking licences to do so. The head of Brazil’s anti-AIDS programme, Pedro Chequer, told the BBC that otherwise the country cannot afford to continue its fight against the epidemic. Brazil’s anti-AIDS strategy is highly regarded internationally. HIV patients receive a cocktail of 15 different drugs free of charge. “At the moment it is not easy because we are spending lots of money on acquiring drugs from multinationals. That kind of situation is unsustainable,” said Chequer. Brazil already produces eight of the 15 drugs. According to the BBC, the seven remaining brand-named drugs cost 85 percent of the entire AIDS programme. (ell)
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