Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The first Brazilian generic drug against erectile dysfunction recently received registration at the National Surveillance Agency - a unit of the Health Ministry. The Viagra generic’s registration was only possible because of a decision of the Superior Court that will terminate the drug patent next month, said Odnir Finotti, president of the Pro-Generics Association.
Brazil has announced the list of 222 American products that could suffer retaliation with tariff rates of more than 100 percent of the value when imported to Brazil. The list could be followed by another including potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in non-tariff items related to intellectual property rights such as lower-priced patented pharmaceuticals.
RIO DE JANEIRO - The interaction between pharmaceutical companies and physicians has been discussed intensely in the last three years in Brazil, and recently has come under heightened scrutiny.
[Update from the author: Brazil announced on 19 December adoption of the resolution against the extension of patent rights to second-use drugs and polymorphs. Such patents were seen as subterfuges from the pharmaceutical companies to expand their patent rights. The…
By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Health Minister José Gomes Temporão and the President of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Paulo Buss, recently inaugurated an office of the foundation in…
By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – An investigation was conducted recently by the civil police in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, against multinational pharmaceutical companies, in which the prosecution affirmed that laboratories pay lawyers to get…
By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – Last year, Brazil and India presented their candidacies and were accepted to operate as international authorities for patent searches at the World Intellectual Property Organization. In addition, Brazil suggested…
By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – After three days of consideration, the Brazilian Supreme Court last week approved by a narrow 6 to 5 margin research involving embryonic stem cells. The 29 May vote followed…
By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch The Brazilian government recently declared the drug Tenofovir, used against HIV/AIDS, to be of public interest. The announcement signals the country’s interest in using an option to avoid the patent on the drug…
By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – After 10 years of debate, Brazil approved in February the commercialisation of two varieties of genetically modified corn, a highly contentious decision in the country that has become linked…