title: On the margins of aid orthodoxy: the Brazil-Mozambique collaboration to produce essential medicines in Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  On the back of its recent economic development and domestic success in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Brazil is helping the Government of Mozambique to set up a pharmaceutical factory as part of its South-South cooperation programme. Until recently, a consensus existed that pharmaceutical production in Africa was not viable or sustainable. This paper looks into practicalities and evolution of this collaboration to illustrate the characteristics of Brazilian development cooperation in health, with the aim of drawing lessons for the wider debate on aid and local production of pharmaceuticals in Africa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We show that the project process has been very long and complex, has involved multiple public and private partners, and cost in excess of USD34 million. There have also been setbacks in the process, and although production has already started, it is unclear whether all the project's original objectives will be met.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Brazil-Mozambique's pharmaceutical factory experience illustrates positives as well as limitations of Brazil's unorthodox approach to health development cooperation, highlighting its contribution to pushing the boundaries of the debate on local production of pharmaceuticals in resource-poor settings.
authors.affiliation: International health and biostatistics department, Instituto de Higiene and Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira 100, Lisbon, Portugal. grusso@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Lícia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shankland
authors.forename: Tânia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sitoe
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001938:Brazil; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018954:Drugs, Essential / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation
chemical_list: D018954:Drugs, Essential