President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil's has said that his country will bypass the commercial patent on a crucial anti-AIDS drug manufactured by Merck, the US pharmaceutical giant, in order to ensure that those who desperately need treatment can get a cheaper, generic Indian-made version.

A not-for-profit, Christian-owned pharmaceutical factory in India has started to produce low-cost AIDS treatment drugs for the large and growing number of HIV positive people living in the world's second most populous country.