The health ministry of Brazil recently signed an agreement with
US-based Bristol-Myers Squibb to obtain its patented production
technology in order to locally develop the antiretroviral drug
atazanavir sulfate. The drug is used, together with others, to
treat HIV-infected patients in Brazil. The process of
transferring the drug's production technology will take place
until the end of 2016, while domestic production is planned to
begin by 2017, according to the country's health ministry.
Before the patent for atazanavir (held by Bristol-Myers Squibb)
expires by the end of 2017, Brazilians will be trained by
experts at the company's USA-based facility on how to produce
the drug. The drug will be produced at a Rio de Janeiro-based
pharmaceutical plant named Farmanguinhos, operated by Oswaldo
Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). Atazanavir is distributed to
approximately 45,000 patients by the public health system, which
corresponds to approximately 20% of all the HIV-infected
patients cared for under this system. Accordin