INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION AND DRUG PATENTS IN BRAZIL

Abstract The article aims to reconstitute the central events of the Intellectual Property (IP) protection system in Brazil, highlighting the exception of medicines patent granting. In a second moment, we discuss the influences of corporations and of Special 301 Reports in the Intellectual Property Law (1996), which marks the recognition of drug patents granting in the country. Subsequently, we present an analysis of the growth of patents in the largest offices, highlighting Brazil's peripheral participation in innovation. Finally, the article seeks to demonstrate the current relationship between patents and public health by considering the patent invalidation in Brazil and the international cooperation between States and corporations in developing vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.