Ces brevets me rendent malade : le sida en Afrique
Rony Brauman, Gérard Lafont, Anne-Christine Roth
2003 - 52 min - DV Cam - Couleur - France

Through first-hand testimonies from Africans living with and doctors treating HIV/AIDS, this documentary provides a tangible face for the current HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. It portrays rare situations where antiretroviral (ARV) treatment is available, and examines the many obstacles that exist to scaling up treatment.
What is the role of international trade laws (the fixed pricing system, patents) in the availability of effective HIV/AIDS treatment in Africa? What are the practical consequences of these laws on the daily lives of the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS? Why have African governments been so slow to take actions that would enable them to supply health facilities with antiretroviral drugs? Are these structures capable of implementing complex treatments? Do the medical staff have sufficient training?
These questions are raised in an attempt to understand the almost complete absence of ARV treatments in the world's poorest and most affected countries. The film endeavours to respond to these questions, step by step, through personal accounts of patients and doctors who confront the disease on a daily basis. Expert analyses from economists, politicians, and doctors emerge alongside these individual cases to explain the role of intellectual property rights and other factors that have major consequences on access to effective HIV/AIDS treatment. The role and functioning of the pharmaceutical industry is examined, as is the need for firm political will to fight the disease, both from the international community, and African governments affected.