New York – The Brazilian AIDS program, which is now being moved ahead by the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration, will be explained at a New York roundtable by minister of Health, Humberto Costa.

The Brazilian program dates from the 1980s when it was decided, at the highest levels of government, to make a frontal attack on the disease by breaking patents in order to manufacture drugs in Brazil and then distribute them free of charge to everyone who was HIV positive.

The program has never been popular with the pharmaceutical industry, but it has become an international benchmark in treating AIDS.

Minister Costa explains that as a result of the program Brazil has exactly half the number of AIDS cases it was estimated it would have. "Today we have 600,000 cases. All the estimates were that we would have 1.2 million in 2003. The reason for our success is that our program guarantees treatment with anti-retroviral drugs while respecting patient rights," he says.

Commenting on the assistance Brazil is providing in helping other countries fight AIDS, Costa declared that the focus is on Africa, with professional training, technological transfer, technical cooperation and, in some cases, even patient treatment. "At the moment we have agreements with ten countries (in Africa and Latin America). In each country we are treating 100 people with drugs produced in Brazil," said Costa. (AB)