Tópico: [en] World looking to Brazil for answers

[Galileo]

Brazil's approach has long been hailed as an example for other middle-income nations in their fight against [AIDS] and will serve as an example at the 16th international AIDS conference being held in Toronto Aug. 13-18.

Prevention and treatment has cut mortality from AIDS in Brazil by 50 per cent, to about 11,000 deaths a year in a country of 186 million.

Between 1996 and 2003, AIDS-related hospitalizations dropped by 80 per cent — meaning 633,180 admissions were avoided — and saved $1.7 billion in hospital costs, according to government figures.

There are still about 30,000 new AIDS cases each year in Brazil, home to more than one-third of the people living with HIV in Latin America, but the adult prevalence of HIV has remained stable at 0.5 per cent since 2000.

They are remarkable numbers for a country that once seemed headed for an AIDS disaster. During the early 1990s, Brazil's epidemic rivalled South Africa's — where HIV prevalence today is close to 20 per cent — and the World Bank predicted the spread of infection in Brazil would swell to 1.2 million HIV infections by 2000.

Today there are about 600,000 people living with HIV; anti-retroviral treatment has become necessary for 172,000 of them, says the government.

Behind Brazil's success have been a strong pharmaceutical industry that makes knockoffs of old drugs and a government that engages in tough negotiations with big drug companies to cut the price of newer, imported medicines.

The government's ultimate bargaining chip is the threat of compulsory licences, which would allow copycat versions of brand name drugs to be made in national labs without the patent owner's consent.

According to the ministry of health, Brazil has saved $1.1 billion through tough negotiations with multinational drug firms, often known as Big Pharma.

Still, despite the tough talk, Brazil has never issued a compulsory licence, leaving AIDS activists fearing that the government is bending over backwards to accommodate Big Pharma at the risk of the nation's health.

They warn that if the price of drugs continues to climb — the budget for anti-retroviral drugs rose 25 per cent this year to $525 million — and if the country doesn't start producing generic versions of newer meds, a jump in deaths is inevitable. Imported drugs account for 80 per cent of the total drug budget.

Brazil must change its course, warned one activist, or "it will be known for the failure of the best AIDS program in world." Read the whole article

[Agnostic]

I have read the whole article. In the fragment - if there was the "political will" to issue compulsory licences, explains Willian Amaral, president of the Rio-based Grupo Pela Vidda, an AIDS support group. Instead, he says, the country is scared to take on Big Pharma and risk angering countries in the developed world and losing trade opportunities - I can neither understand how issuing compulsory licenses of 'big-brand' drugs would not anger countries in the developed world nor how it would grant trade opportunities, except by selling these drugs to other countries.

[Rodion]

The government's ultimate bargaining chip is the threat of compulsory licences, which would allow copycat versions of brand name drugs to be made in national labs without the patent owner's consent.

that is thanks to the previous government and its minister of health, josé serra (which is, by the way, one of the candidates for this year's presidential election).
the interesting thing is that serra's party, psdb, is called "neoliberal" by the oposition.

[rizk]

The propositioner of the project's from PT, Serra STOLE it.

A good idea, nonetheless.

[ukrainian]

The propositioner of the project's from PT, Serra STOLE it.

[Lorentz]

The propositioner of the project's from PT, Serra STOLE it.

Serra didn't steal the project. He made it work. That's the diference.

[rizk]

The propositioner of the project's from PT, Serra STOLE it.

Serra didn't steal the project. He made it work. That's the diference.

You've read the article, I suppose. The writer's not sure it will work in the coming years. Scroll up and read it.

[Lorentz]

You've read the article, I suppose. The writer's not sure it will work in the coming years. Scroll up and read it.

yeah, I read it. I just wrote that because of Ukrainian quotation, which gives a diferent meaning to your original text.

[Shrek]

Still, despite the tough talk, Brazil has never issued a compulsory licence, leaving AIDS activists fearing that the government is bending over backwards to accommodate Big Pharma at the risk of the nation's health.

They warn that if the price of drugs continues to climb — the budget for anti-retroviral drugs rose 25 per cent this year to $525 million — and if the country doesn't start producing generic versions of newer meds, a jump in deaths is inevitable. Imported drugs account for 80 per cent of the total drug budget.

Brazil must change its course, warned one activist, or "it will be known for the failure of the best AIDS program in world".

I'm sure it won't be "he failure of the best AIDS program in world", because our AIDS program aims at prevention. Public Hospital give condoms, there are advertisement about safe sex on TV, specially a few weeks before and during the carnival. Although it could be better, it's the best in the world, mainly becaue it aimed prevention intead of support.

[Guinevere]

Shrek, welcome again! I'm glad to see people willing to move things around here on English section!

[Shrek]

Thanks again Guinevere!

By the way, do you agree with my post above yours?

[Guinevere]

I can't say. I know no data about it.

[Fabulous]

The true motherfucker is called as Lula.

[Guinevere]

I think this guy posted on the wrong thread...

[Alenônimo]

I'm sure it won't be "he failure of the best AIDS program in world", because our AIDS program aims at prevention. Public Hospital give condoms, there are advertisement about safe sex on TV, specially a few weeks before and during the carnival. Although it could be better, it's the best in the world, mainly becaue it aimed prevention intead of support.

Don't forget to say that the church doesn't get in the way so much here.

[Fabulous]

Dawm.. Ptistas and Lulistas are so donkey! 

[Guinevere]

Shouldn't you say "dumb"?

[Galileo]

Shouldn't you say "dumb"?

Yes, but I like the word "donkey". I think I'll start using it instead.

[Guinevere]