On Thursday in Brasilia, Health Minister Saraiva Felipe and Ira Magaziner of the Clinton Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding that will help Brazil obtain AIDS drugs more cheaply.

Under the agreement, the Clinton Foundation will provide Brazil with technical support to help it obtain the raw materials needed to produce AIDS drugs at lower prices. In addition, the agreement will help Brazil purchase tests necessary to diagnose and monitor the progress of HIV/AIDS.

Brazil provides free AIDS drugs for all who need them -- currently, some 160,000 patients. Its effort is viewed as a model for the developing world.

The Health Ministry reports that AIDS drugs account for about 25 percent of Brazil's budget for medicines. Recently, Brazil threatened to break patents on some of the more expensive medicines in order to secure discounts from drug makers.

The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative has been helping nations access HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care since 2002 and now has partnerships with more than a dozen countries.

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