At the July International AIDS Conference in South Africa, the Brazilian Government announced plans to assist poor countries with local manufacture of generic medicines. After a series of high profile meetings between generic manufacturers and Ministers of Health, cautious plans to pursue local manufacture or importation of generic medicine were widely reported. The US Government has historically used its economic might to bully poor countries to adopt patent laws far stricter than WTO rules. Pharmaceutical companies have come under increasing fire for high prices globally. According to published reports, Bush plans to appoint Deborah Steelman, his top healthcare advisor, to a powerful position as Secretary of Health.
Steelman is a leading insurance and drug company lobbyist.
Bush's top aides are drug company flunkies, said ACT UP's Bill Thorne. Bush has been silent on AIDS as Governor and candidate. Despite the high number of AIDS cases, state programs are chronically underfunded. Texas ranks fourth in AIDS cases, right behind California, New York and Florida. Although infection rates in Hispanic communities are soaring, the state has dramatically decreased its funding to AIDS organizations in the Hispanic community.