Brazil may break Aids drug patent

[maddezmom]

Brazil has threatened to break the patent on an anti-Aids drug in order to make a cheaper generic version.
Health Minister Humberto Costa said the price of the Kaletra drug was so high it represented a risk to public health.

The government has given US company Abbott Laboratories 10 days to either agree to lower its prices or allow generic copies.

Abbott said patients would lose out in the long run if Brazil went ahead with its threat.

If Abbott does not make an adequate offer, Brazil will start producing a generic drug at a state-run laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, Mr Costa said.

~snip~
more:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4621735.stm

[fujiyama]

1. Brazil is really starting to kick ass

I'm so sick of these greedy pharmacuitical corporations which are basically complicit in the death of thousands (or at the minimum negligent).

I also like how they told the US to keep its money because they didn't want strings attached by fundies.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Clinical Trials NIH, HIV peripheral neuropathy vs Lipoic Acid, available

just about everywhere.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/show/NCT00079807?order=1

MedlinePlus related topics: Peripheral Nerve Disorders


Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Treatment, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Control, Parallel Assignment, Efficacy Study

Official Title: Painful HIV Neuropathy: Treatment with Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Further Study Details:

Expected Total Enrollment: 60
Study start: September 2003; Expected completion: September 2005


HIV is associated with painful distal peripheral polyneuropathy in up to 35-50% of those without AIDS and in more than 70% of those with advanced disease. The condition is progressive but may be halted with disease remission. Disability is often significant. Peripheral nerve axons and sensory neuron cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia are the principal targets of the process leading to symptoms. Alpha-lipoic acid occurs naturally in every cell of the body. In high concentrations it acts as an anti-oxidant which regenerates other anti-oxidants and promotes glutathione synthesis. Clinical studies for diabetic neuropathy have shown significant benefit at daily oral doses that are well-tolerated.

This placebo-controlled study is designed to evaluate the effects of daily oral alpha-lipoic acid supplements (600mg, three times per/day) plus standard medical care in the treatment of painful HIV-associated neuropathy over a 24-week period in adult subjects. Possible benefits of the study include reduction in pain and disability, reduced use of medications, and enhanced cellular metabolism.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. Protecting against AZT's ill effects.

1: Life Sci. 2004 Nov 19;76(1):47-56. Related Articles, Links


AZT induces oxidative damage to cardiac mitochondria: protective effect of vitamins C and E.

de la Asuncion JG, Del Olmo ML, Gomez-Cambronero LG, Sastre J, Pallardo FV, Vina J.

Departament of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University Clinical Hospital, Valencia, Spain.

AZT (zidovudine) is a potent inhibitor of HIV replication and a major antiretroviral drug used for AIDS treatment. A major limitation in the use of AZT is the occurrence of severe side effects. The aim of this work was to test whether AZT causes oxidative damage to heart mitochondria and whether this can be prevented by supranutritional doses of antioxidant vitamins. An experimental animal model was used in which mice were treated with AZT for 35 days (10 mg/kg/day) in drinking water. Animals treated with antioxidant vitamins were fed the same diet as controls but supplemented with vitamins C (ascorbic acid, 10 g/ kg diet) and E (alpha-dl-tocopherol, 0.6 g/kg diet) for 65 days before sacrifice. This resulted in a daily intake of 1250 mg/kg/day (vitamin C) and 75 mg/kg/day (vitamin E). Cardiac mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of mice treated with AZT had over 120% more oxo-dG (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, which is a biomarker of oxidative damage to DNA) in their mitochondrial DNA than untreated controls. AZT treatment also caused an increase in mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and an oxidation of mitochondrial glutathione. Dietary supplementation with supranutritional doses of the antioxidant vitamins C and E protected against these signs of mitochondrial oxidative stress. The oxidative effects of AZT are probably due to an increase in production of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria of AZT-treated animals, raising the possibility that oxidative stress may play an important role in the cardiotoxicity of AZT.

PMID: 15501479

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. HAART ill effects counteracted by.....

1: Cardiovasc Toxicol. 2004;4(3):287-302. Related Articles, Links


HAART drugs induce oxidative stress in human endothelial cells and increase endothelial recruitment of mononuclear cells: exacerbation by inflammatory cytokines and amelioration by antioxidants.

Mondal D, Pradhan L, Ali M, Agrawal KC.

Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly improved the prognosis of HIV-1-infected patients but is associated with significant side effects such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular complications. Oxidative stress can disrupt endothelial homeostasis by dysregulating the balance between pro- and antiatherogenic factors. We hypothesized that chronic exposure to HAART results in endothelial oxidative stress and activation of mononuclear cell recruitment, an early event in atherosclerosis. We studied the effects of HAART drug combinations, consisting of zidovudine, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; efavirenz, a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; and either of the two protease inhibitors (PIs), indinavir or nelfinavir, on human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) by monitoring the following parameters: (1) generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), (2) mono-nuclear cell (Jurkat or U-937) adhesion, and (3) expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). HAART exposure increased ROS formation in HAECs. Exposure to PIs alone and in HAART combinations increased mononuclear cell adhesion to HAECs in a concentration-dependent manner. Mononuclear cell adhesion to HAART-exposed HAECs was significantly enhanced following acute (24-h) exposure to the inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha or interleukin (IL)-1beta and was suppressed by the antioxidants N-ace-tylcysteine and glutathione. Exposure to HAART increased intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) gene expression and concomitant exposure to TNF-alpha further increased ICAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule cell surface protein levels. These studies indicate that chronic HAART exposure increases oxidative stress in endothelial cells and induces mononuclear cell recruitment, which may eventually precipitate the cardiovascular diseases observed in HIV-1+ individuals on antiretroviral therapy.

PMID: 15470276

[whistle]

2. Terrific, now that's what real free trade markets are all about

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Patents were developed for the advancement of human knowledge

Not so that the poor would wither away and die simply because they are poor.

[1932]

6. Patent and copyright balance the legitimate interests of creators,

consumers and distributors.

The strange thing is the wealthier distributors get, the more legal protection the get.

I think -- but for the fact that money buys political power -- economic balance would suggest that as the producers make more money and the consumers diseases get more expensive to treat, patent protection would DECREASE incrementally. Yet, it keeps increasing, which makes drugs even more expensive, which makes the drug company profits even greater, which makes consumers less healthy.

Go figure.

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. Some balance, huh?

Unless there are interests deliberately and strategically upsetting the intended balances of copyright and patent protection? Couldn't be...

Of course, it was only because profit-motive was thought to spur creation (and therefore the advancement of human knowledge and care) that the balance was struck in the first place. Siva Vidyanathan and others have demonstrated how the regime of balance has been gradually eroded and subverted until we don't blink an eye at a million deaths justified behind the patent laws. Humanism in smithereens.

[1932]

4. Abbott labs will make more money in the long run if there...

...are more middle class people in the world with the luxury of going to doctors and getting prescribed all their other drugs, which won't happen if developing nations' economies are devestated by AIDS.

And I bet Abbott's profits aren't so shabby right now considering the guaranteed-profits-for-healthcare-companies scam that is the American health care system.

So Abbott should suck it up and take one for the global team so that we can all be wealthier in the future.

[sam sarrha]

5. guess who we invade before Iran...?????????

[daa]

9. Everything is cheaper in the third world

Not only is the cost savings from cheap labor, but cheap legal expenses as well. Third world countries do not live by the rule of law and so globalization is comoing so get out of the way.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. wrong thread

my bad

[sam sarrha]

13. guess who we invade before Iran ??? Comentary and Links>

all this Jibber Jabber about altruism and the underclasses is just a steaming pile of shit to the Straussian/NEOCON's/Fascists, as they bow to their wrathful god "GREED".

The rapture will become a code word for those taken in the night by Homeland Security because they maxed out their credit card and missed a payment.. they get "Raptured" to Angola to work in a copper mine to get some credits, if they survive... because the Fascist/NEOCON's killed off all the Africans to steal their resources.

Our government is now run by actual Students of Strauss... from when he was a professor in Philly.

Good starter article on Strauss
http://www.alternet.org/story/15935

Best description of Fascism
http://www.indybay.org/print.php?id=1719333

definition of NEOCON's by Rep Ron Paul..the best
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2003/cr071003.htm

more about Strauss and and the Christian Logo Reich
http://www.insider-magazine.com/ChristianMafia

[sam sarrha]

14. OK they get it cheap if they Jail dying people for using Medical Marijuana

..and give us the last tree in the Amazon...:patriot:

[Jack Rabbit]

15. This is a smart move by Brazil

Health Minister Humberto Costa said the price of the Kaletra drug was so high it represented a risk to public health.

That is all the justification Costa needs.

The purpose of a health care system is public health. If this is inconsistent with private profits, then private profits must give way.

[justinsb]

16. Brazil may break Aids drug patent

Brazil may break Aids drug patent

Aids campaigners say patents "are bad for health"

Brazil has threatened to break the patent on an anti-Aids drug in order to make a cheaper generic version.

Health Minister Humberto Costa said the price of the Kaletra drug was so high it represented a risk to public health.

The government has given US company Abbott Laboratories 10 days to either agree to lower its prices or allow generic copies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4621735.stm

[bigluckyfeet]

17. Great News!

You would never see this done in The United States of Corporate America.

[Vladimir]

18. Good on them

patents on drugs and life-saving treatments in general are utterly wrong. No one should make a penny of profit out of people's health.

[oscar111]

19. HURRAH HURRAH. Nationalize Big Pill

and all four corners of healthcare

1. drs
2. hospitals/nursing homes
3. insurance
4. Big Pill

so big pill is a transnational

just do as brazil has done

[oscar111]

20. RECOMMEND for Greatest Page, button bott of orig post

cccc

[oscar111]

21. Medicare DESTROYED {mostly} for poor, since pills too costly

so what if the doc is free, ..

if you cant afford the pills, how can you get well?

Big Pill has all but DESTROYED the fine idea of having Medicare for the oldsters. The poor ones.

Medicare still exists for the rich who can afford pills, but as far as i can see, the poor have been mostly cancelled out.

comments? I not an expert on medicare.