In Brazil, the Government

In Brazil, the Government has a policy of universal access to antiretroviral drugs which currently benefits nearly
all AIDS patients in the country (about 85,000). The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy nearly
halved the annual number of AIDS deaths between 1996 and 1999, and reduced the incidence of opportunistic
infections by 60-80% over the same period.
The universal access programme would not have been possible without significant decreases in the cost of
anti-retroviral drugs. The Government decided to start local manufacture of drugs that were not patent-protected,
and for which it had the know-how and infrastructure. Local production, combined with bulk purchases of
imported anti-retrovirals, led to significant decreases in the programme's drug costs.
The programme's annual drug costs were approximately US$ 339 million in 1999. Between 1997 and 1999, approximately
146,000 AIDS-related hospitalisations were averted, resulting in savings of approximately US$ 289 million: this has
partly offset the high cost of antiretroviral therapy.