Venezuelan officials plan to invalidate some pharmaceutical patents and allow domestic manufacturers to produce licensed medicines, an action that could cause shortages and scare off foreign investment, industry leaders said…Commerce Minister Eduardo Saman…announced...that Venezuela's government would annul patents on some medicines under a reform of existing intellectual property laws. Saman said the measure is aimed at making the interests of powerful drug companies secondary to the needs of Venezuelans suffering from diseases such as cancer or AIDS…"Patents have become a barrier to production and we cannot allow barriers to the access of medicine." [he said]