[Ip-health] WHO congratulates Brazil for the breaking of the patent of the aids medicine

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Original article at the following link.

http://www.estadao.com.br/nacional/noticias/2005/jun/29/161.htm

WHO congratulates Brazil for the breaking of the patent of the aids
medicine

Geneva - The director of the HIV/aids department of the WHO, Jim Kim,
affirmed this Wednesday that "the Brazilian government has the right to
break the patent of Abbott Laboratory for the drug against aids" to
produce it at lower prices. He said that with the measure, "supported by
the Doha Declaration, Brazil tries to guarantee the sustainability of
the national programme of fight against aids", considered as exemplary
by the United Nation Aids Programme (Unaids).

According to the datas released today in a report by WHO and by the
Unaids, the number of people under treatment in Latin American countries
and the Carribean passed from 275 thousand at the end of 2004 to 290
thousand in june 2005, an increase of 5.45% in six months. The most
populated countries of the region, amongst them Brazil, Argentina and
Mexico, already have a coverage "relatively high, but other countries
are not following the pace".

Amongst the 49 priority countries targeted by WHO and Unaids with the
objective to increase the percentage of people that receive treatment,
there are eight in the latin-american region: Guatemala, Haiti, Costa
Rica, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicar=E1gua and Panam=E1. According to
calculations of Unaids, Latin America and the Carribean will absorbe 17%
of the world budget necessary to fight aids in the next five years, and
Africa will need 55%.

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