The Knucklehead of the Day award

It took me much of the day to come up with a proper winner. The funny thing is, it's been obvious for hours.

Today's winner is the government of Brazil who is threatening to violate patent laws by producing copycat AIDS drugs.

Brazil Threatens to Break Company's Patent on Drug
2005-07-06
Augusta Chronicle, The

SAO PAULO, Brazil - AIDS activists and humanitarian groups are praising Brazil for taking the first step by any country to break an AIDS drug patent and produce copycat versions, a decision they hope leads to massive exports to other poor countries devastated by the disease.

But property-rights advocates and the pharmaceutical industry are equating the nation's high-stakes move against U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories Inc. as government-sanctioned piracy of intellectual property driven by greed.

Brazil has repeatedly forced AIDS drugs manufacturers to reduce prices by issuing threats to break patents during the past several years, but it made an unprecedented legal decision last week after it didn't get as much of a price cut as it wanted from Abbott on its Kaletra pill.

Latin America's largest country declared the outcome a public health crisis for its world-renowned free treatment program, and it will use a World Trade Organization process to break the patent and clone Kaletra - unless Abbott gives a steep discount by July 6 or lets Brazil make generic versions of the drug.

"The impact of breaking the patent would be enormous," said Michael Bailey, a senior policy adviser for Oxfam International. "If a major country such as Brazil goes through with this, not only will it help ensure sustainability of their excellent treatment program, it will set a hugely important precedent for other countries."

Absolutely what Brazil is threatening to do could have an enormous impact. Just not what Mr. Bailey seems to be thinking. Major pharmaceutical companies could decide to cut back on AIDS Drugs and their research as they see it being more of a liability. Because countries and other companies are profiiting off their work. That seems more reasonable to me than Mr. Bailey's hypotheses.

For disregarding international law, The government and leaders of Brazil are today's knucklehead award winner.

Hat tip- Outside the Beltway