Don't Forget the Activists...

"Stretch," 1996, Barton Lidice Benes
U.S. currency, 2.5" x 18"

The Economist has published an interesting article on the big business of AIDS meds. The piece has an optimistic tone, and includes interesting facts. Sadly, it fails to mention the fundamental role activists have played within big pharma, and so lacks a level of complexity. The piece is a useful read that reminds us that not only is AIDS not over, neither is governmental neglect, capitalist greed, or media over-simplification. 


Below is the beginning of the article, with a link. 

The business of HIV
Battling the virus: A huge, strange drug market

THE coming weeks may bring a victory in the long war against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. A drug called Truvada already treats the disease. By June 15th American regulators are expected to approve its use to prevent the transmission of HIV, too.


The past 30 years have produced several triumphs. A flood of money has helped scientists to invent new drugs and health workers to deliver them to those in need (see chart 1). These drugs have transformed a fatal disease into a chronic one. They have also made HIV a big business.


To read the rest of the article: THE ECONOMIST