Thursday, December 02, 2004

Brazil to Break AIDS Drug Patents

BBC News reports that Brazil intends to break patents on commercial anti-AIDS drugs as part of its battle against the disease -- this being the only way that country could afford to keep up its anti-AIDS strategy.

I am pleased to note that human suffering and disease prevention take precedence over antiquated ideas about protection of certain intellectual property, and hope that this violation by Brazil is just the beginning of a message to world corporate interests that curing disease is an effort that should benefit all people, and not just those that can afford it (read: the wealthy). Let those companies find some other way to support themselves. (And kudos to the World Trade Organization, which allows countries to break drug patents if there is a national emergency!)

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