Oliveria: Brazil's AIDS policy works

So the conclusion here is that because a lot of people are to stupid to take measures to protect themselves, private enterprise should be punished? Next thing you know, De Oliveira will support nations capturing freighters full of food to feed their people while sending what they view as a "fair" amount of money to compensate those who grew it.

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• Posted by Eudoxus408bc on May 9, 2007 at 12:40 p.m.
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Oliveria: Brazil's AIDS policy works

Eudoxus.

You seem to assume that the only people who get AIDS are the ones who are not careful. First of all, using a preservative is the only way to prevent getting infected by HIV during sex. But even then, the condom could break. Furthermore, what about an individual who's been careful his whole life, but because of one small mistake is handed a death sentence? Also, HIV can be transmited through blood transfusion and from a mom to her kid (including childbirth and maternal milk). Sure, if the necessary measures are taken, the risk decreases, but it is still there. Not to mention drug addicts. Sharing needles and all that. Brazil has taken a proactive stance in all of this. HIV transmition by blood transfusion and childbirth is extremelly rare because of all the testing and precautions implemented. It has also, besides a comprehensive sex education program and the free distribution of condoms, distributed free disposable needles to drug addicts. That is why the program is so efficient. There is virtually no moralizing, no looking down upon people. But, there are still those people who don't get, or understand the message. These are mostly from lower classes, with lower levels of education. And there are still people who commit mistakes. That is where the free antiretroviral program comes in. Do you seriously believe that people living in the favelas, or in poorer areas of the northeast of Brazil, or even most of the middle class, can afford tens of thousands of dollars for this treatment?

Also, there is something incredibly wrong with the pharmaceutical industry. I do realize that making drugs is expensive, but the profit of these industries is absurd. And they are still pushing for more and more profits, by overpricing drugs and by pretty much transforming the US in a nation of "sick" people. Don't you watch tv? it now seems that you can only be normal if you have a disorder of some sort. The power of the pharmaceutical lobby is something scary. It is a threat to the well being of this country.

The access to antiretrovirals to everyone also has another bennefit. Theoretically, the earlier the virus starts being combated, the less chances it has of mutating. By preventing the virus of mutating, you prevent it from becoming resistant to certain medicines. If that virus becomes resistant, that means that a new drug need to be developed, thus increasing the price and the danger of the disease. So, who knows, perhaps Brazil's program is in a way preventing you from suffering even more if you eventually make a mistake (or are exposed to the virus through forces stronger than you can control) in your life.

And, if a country's population were starving, yes, I would support the capturing of freighter full off food (if, per example, that freighter were going from France to the US, or something like that). At some point action needs to be taken.

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• Posted by oliveira on May 10, 2007 at 12:52 a.m.
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Oliveria: Brazil's AIDS policy works

Yes. Some sort of action needs to be taken. However, by just hijacking patented material, they are threatening a system that develops the solutions. Drugs are extremely profitable. But that is because they have to be to make their development worthwhile. If you have to invest 5 billion dollars over a 15 year period without any kind of return, it must be because the return after said time frame is huge.

This is similar to vigilante justice. The government won't punish how I see fit so why bother.

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• Posted by Eudoxus408bc on May 14, 2007 at 10:04 a.m.
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Oliveria: Brazil's AIDS policy works

The fact is Pharmeceutical companies wastefully spend money. All this supposed cost investment in reasearch is supplemented heavily by grants, both public and private, and the companies that manufacture do not shoulder as ridiculous a chunk of money as you are stating, Eudoxus. Let me ask you this- is the industry profitable enough? At what point is there "too much" profit? To most companies, there is no such thing. As a matter of fact, if they could produce items for $0.01 and sell them for $1,000 successfully, they would. Do they need a 75=90% profit margin, when much of their research is tax deducted as it is since they are coming up with medicines to help people (who can afford their product)?

Is there an inherent monatery value on human life? Or are you going to repeat the tired conservative mantra of "personal accountability" since "everyone gets the same chance in life."

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• Posted by llama726 on November 7, 2007 at 8:26 p.m.
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