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Brazil shares its AIDS drug pledge

During his recent five-nation African tour, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to make antiretroviral drugs more accessible to Namibians living with HIV/AIDS. The pledge was made soon after an announcement by Lula da Silva that his country would build a factory in Mozambique for the manufacture cheap of anti-AIDS drugs. According to local newspaper, The Namibian, the South American country's support was expected to come in the form of technological know-how for producing drugs to treat the estimated 230,000 people in Namibia who are living with HIV/AIDS. Lula da Silva said: "We wish to prevent the aggravation of a situation that is already dramatic, and which represents an imminent threat to the social and economic stability of certain African nations." Brazil has emerged as a model for the developing world in the fight against HIV/AIDS by defying multinational drug companies and manufacturing generic versions of patented drugs.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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