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LatinNews Regional Monitor: Brazil & Southern Cone - 25 September 2018

In brief: Brazil

* Brazilian federal judge Rolando Valcir Spanholo has released the patent for sofosbuvir, a drug that effectively cures hepatitis C. The request to overturn the patent, held by US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, was filed earlier this month by presidential candidate Marina Silva, of the centre-left Rede Sustentabilidade (Rede) party, and her running mate, physician Eduardo Jorge of the Partido Verde (PV). The release of the patent in theory allows pharmaceutical companies in Brazil to produce generic versions of the drug. This would make it available for a fraction of the original price and represent significant savings for Brazil’s national healthcare system (SUS), which reportedly spends nearly R$1bn (US$244m) per year on the drug. Silva welcomed the court ruling, tweeting that “This is an important victory for public health and for the millions of patients who are waiting in line for a very expensive treatment”.   

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