Re: <nettime> Brazil puts patients before patents

[John <kaizyn@sbcglobal.net>]

The problem down in Brazil is not that the drug companies are charging 
too much for AIDS drugs.  The problem is that Brazil is refusing to 
budget sufficient money to cover the costs associated with dealing with 
the AIDS problem the country is sadly faced with.  Instead they're 
simply robbing drug companies.  The large drug manufacturing consortium 
should consider a boycott on Brazil over the complete range of the rest 
of their drug products or simply don't send any of the newer drugs as 
they enter the market down there so Brazil can't steal them too.

The idea that drug companies be offered a 'reward' instead of letting 
market price be tied to R&D is a bad one.  Say what you will about the 
evils of capitalism, but the one truth remains that individuals and 
companies will produce more (to the benefit of the community at large) 
when they can anticipate a greater benefit to themselves for doing so.

Finding good drugs that cure nasty diseases is expensive no matter how 
you look at it.  Governments are neither willing nor able to spend the 
necessary money.  The only way that private enterprise is going to step 
up and do this is if it pays them extremely well.  I for one would like 
to see the day where one of these big companies find a final cure for 
AIDS and cancer.  It's just unfortunate that no more reasonable 
alternative to that end exists.

Regards,
John S.

> Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 13:04:33 -0100
> From: nettime's_busy_reader <nettime@bbs.thing.net>
> Subject: <nettime> Brazil puts patients before patents
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-love/brazil-puts-patients-befo_b_47651.html
> 
> May 4, 2007
> The Huffington Post
> James Love
> 
> Brazil puts patients before patents, rejects Bush administration
> pressure and issues compulsory license on important AIDS drug
 <...>


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