Strategies for price reduction of HIV medicines under a monopoly situation in Brazil

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze Government strategies for reducing prices of antiretroviral medicines for HIV in Brazil. METHODS Analysis of Ministry of Health purchases of antiretroviral medicines, from 2005 to 2013. Expenditures and costs of the treatment per year were analyzed and compared to international prices of atazanavir. Price reductions were estimated based on the terms of a voluntary license of patent rights and technology transfer in the Partnership for Productive Development Agreement for atazanavir. RESULTS Atazanavir, a patented medicine, represented a significant share of the expenditures on antiretrovirals purchased from the private sector. Prices in Brazil were higher than international references, and no evidence was found of a relationship between purchase volume and price paid by the Ministry of Health. Concerning the latest strategy to reduce prices, involving local production of the 200 mg capsule, the price reduction was greater than the estimated reduction. As for the 300 mg capsule, the amounts paid in the first two years after the Partnership for Productive Development Agreement were close to the estimated values. Prices in nominal values for both dosage forms remained virtually constant between 2011 (the signature of the Partnership for Productive Development Agreement), 2012 and 2013 (after the establishment of the Partnership). CONCLUSIONS Price reduction of medicines is complex in limited-competition environments. The use of a Partnership for Productive Development Agreement as a strategy to increase the capacity of local production and to reduce prices raises issues regarding its effectiveness in reducing prices and to overcome patent barriers. Investments in research and development that can stimulate technological accumulation should be considered by the Government to strengthen its bargaining power to negotiate medicines prices under a monopoly situation.

Copyleft e licenças criativas de uso de informação na sociedade da informação

Neste trabalho se discutem algumas licenças criativas de uso de informação: Free Document Licenses (FDL) e Creative Commons (CC). As formas colaborativas de produção, disseminação e uso de informação, particularmente aquelas que usam a Internet, requerem novos enfoques da propriedade intelectual e do direito autoral. A produção colaborativa pode-se construir sob licenças para usar e recriar livremente produções anteriores. É possível imaginar a dispensa da proteção legal do copyright, tornando idéias, software, músicas, imagens e textos livres e acessíveis a todos. A redução do controle político e econômico não visa apenas a facilitar o acesso aos bens, mas também a liberar a inovação e o desenvolvimento econômico. Conclui-se que as licenças criativas apresentam potencialidades e limitações. Contudo, constituem poderoso agente de mudança social e econômica, pois advertem para a inadequação dos sistemas de copyright e de propriedade intelectual na sociedade da informação.

A importância da Química Analítica Qualitativa nos cursos de Química das instituições de ensino superior brasileiras

The results of a survey of institutions offering undergraduate studies, with the objective of evaluating the importance of Qualitative Analytical Chemistry for Chemistry courses in Brazil, are presented and discussed. Judging by the data, the content of the course of Qualitative Analytical Chemistry is considered by the Brazilian institutions offering undergraduate studies to be a body of knowledge essential for the formation of the chemist. This aspect is deemed valid for both baccalaureate and teaching license studies.