Brazil Voids Merck Patent On AIDS Drug

Posted by kdawson on Saturday May 5, 2007 @05:19AM from the developing-world-revolt dept.

JoeBackward writes "Merck has this useful anti-AIDS drug Elfavirenz, and Brazil has lots of poor people with AIDS. So, after trying really hard to get Merck to cooperate on pricing, the Brazilian government has decided to take a 'compulsory license' to the patent, and get the drug from a factory in India. This compulsory license is basically a way to take the patent by eminent domain." This move gives Brazil one more thing in common with Thailand, both of which have blocked YouTube. Thailand's compulsory licensing of Elfavirenz and Plavix has landed the country on the US's watch list for piracy.

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Re:humanity vs capitalism by larry+bagina · 2007-05-05 05:47 · Score: 0, Redundant

Why should a drug company spend money developing drugs for the third world? By voiding drug patents and buying cheap knockoffs, they killed the goose that laid the anti-parasitic egg.

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Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.