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A pharmaceutical plant funded by
Brazil opened Saturday in Mozambique, where more than 2.5 million people are
living with HIV but only 300,000 are receiving antiretrovirals (ARVs).
The factory initially will package
drugs from Brazil but will begin producing its own pills by year’s end. It was
built with $23 million in aid from Brazil and $4.5 million from Brazilian
mining giant Vale.
“There is an excellent partnership
between the Brazilian and the Mozambican people, and there is an absolute
integration between the two countries in both public and private sectors,”
Michel Temer, Brazil’s vice president, said at the opening event.
Brazil’s 1996 announcement that it
would offer free ARVs to HIV-positive citizens sparked concerns over drug
resistance and copyright violations. Since then, however, the program has won
praise as a model for the developing world. The World Bank estimates the free
drugs have saved more than a half-million lives.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
