Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - Monday, July 8, 2002
Paulo Robert Teixeira told reporters at the 14th annual World AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain, that Brazil promised nearly $1 million, or 2.5 million reals, to HIV prevention and AIDS treatment to countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The resources and funds will be used to implement 10 pilot-programs, said Teixeira.
In a statement Monday, Brazil's Ministry of Health said that the country's past success in fighting AIDS promoted it to take the lead in the international effort to treat the world's 40 million HIV and AIDS suffers, 90 percent of who are in developing countries.
Latin America's largest nation has been a worldwide leader in the fight against AIDS and HIV prevention and is the foremost proponent in the controversial fight to break patents on expensive AIDS drugs so that poorer nations can afford to combat the epidemic.
Brazil currently produces generic versions of anti-AIDS drugs -- much to the chagrin of international pharmaceutical companies -- and distributes them to some 100,000 Brazilian suffers of the deadly disease that attacks the human immune system.
In June of 2001, the United States ended its effort to have Brazil penalized by the World Trade Organization for its production of generic versions of expensive AIDS and HIV treatment drugs.
Former health minister turned presidential candidate Jose Serra said last year that "the (Brazilian) government isn't against patents, it's against the abuse of prices" while defending the production of generic drugs.
Brazil's practice of producing generic AIDS drugs despite patent regulations has paid off for the country's AIDS suffers who previously could not afford the expensive cocktail of medications needed to prolong their lives.
In March 2001, Brazilian authorities persuaded U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck to slash the price by 50 percent in Brazil of two drugs used to treat the disease. In return, Brazil promised not to break the company's patent.
The Washington Post reported Monday that the worldwide spread of AIDS "will cause a decline in life expectancy in 51 countries in the next two decades."
The projection was based on a study released at the Barcelona AIDS conference.
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