Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - May 4, 2001
BRASILIA -- President Fernando Henrique Cardoso on Thursday defended Brazil's policy of ignoring medical patents to guarantee public health, intensifying a dispute with the U.S. over patent rights.
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"We're not here to challenge and break patents at any price," Globo Online agency quoted the president as saying at the inauguration of a bridge 220 miles south of Brasilia, the nation's capital. "But I want to affirm that if it is for the health of our people, we won't hesitate [to break patents]."
The statement comes after the Bush administration released a report on patent protections that put Brazil and several other countries on notice that they could face U.S. trade sanctions unless they remove objectionable trade barriers to U.S. products.
The U.S. government and many pharmaceutical companies object to announcements by Brazil's government that it may produce generic copies of AIDS drugs in cases where the government finds prices to be excessive.
The U.S. has criticized parts of Brazil's patent law that call for a compulsory licensing of patents in the case of "economic abuse of patent rights." On Feb. 1, the U.S. asked the World Trade Organization to form a panel to check whether Brazil's patent law discriminates against drug imports in violation of the rights of drug companies.
"Brazil will not budge one millimeter in everything that is of interest of our country and our people," Mr. Cardoso said.
Paulo Teixeira, who heads Brazil's anti-AIDS program, said Wednesday his government was "very surprised" that Mr. Bush has toughened the U.S. position on Brazil's policy of producing cheap generic drugs.
Brazil so far has only made copies of AIDS drugs not protected by patents in Brazil. The government has for more than four years provided an AIDS cocktail free to anyone who needs it.
The Brazilian program -- praised by doctors as a model for developing countries -- has reduced AIDS deaths by 50% to 70%, Mr. Teixera said.
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