Brazil seals deal, won't break AIDS drug patent

[Eugene]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/08/AR2005070801792.html

Brazil seals deal, won't break AIDS drug patent

Reuters
Friday, July 8, 2005; 9:04 PM

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil's Health Ministry said on
Friday it reached a deal with Abbott Laboratories Inc. to cut the
price of the Kaletra AIDS drug after the country threatened last
month to break the patent.

In a statement, Brazil's Health Ministry quoted former Minister
Humberto Costa, who led the negotiations with Illinois-based Abbott,
as saying the agreed price would be "comparable" to the price of
similar generic medicine made in India and local production. The
ministry did not specify what the per pill price would be.

Brazil has in the past reached similar agreements with pharmaceutical
companies after threatening to break patents, but it has never
effectively broken any.

<snip>

The ministry said the price reduction would occur over the next six
years. Abbott will also start transferring the technology to Brazil
in 2009 so the local laboratory, FarManguinhos, can make the drug
in Brazil.

more...

[electricray]

1. I say break the patent.

Big pharma already has far too much control over whether or not people live and die. Time for humanity to fight back.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. Well, they DID say "uncle."

They wouldn't lower the price if the government hadn't played hardball. I consider this a good outcome.

(Of course, see the patent broken would be even more satisfying.)