HIV Treatment Alerts - October 2003
Thomas Gegeny, MS, ELS

This year has been busy in the fight against HIV. Several new HIV drugs were approved (Fuzeon, Reyataz, Lexiva, and Emtriva). While some of these offer people with HIV new ways to combat the virus, others offer modest advantages like improved convenience or fewer/different side effects. Surprisingly, the biggest overall challenge to people living with HIV this year has not necessarily been the virus, but the cuts in dollars for research and medication assistance programs. This year, federal funding for state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) has severely fallen short. The battles to save ADAP have been many, with very few wins. People with HIV/AIDS in the US who are in dire need of life-saving medications are being put on waiting lists because there is not enough money. Somehow, our legislators can't see that investing around $15,000 for a year's worth of HIV medications actually saves money by keeping a person out of the hospital because of preventable illnesses. If you haven't contacted your US senators and representatives to make sure they are supporting ADAP funding increases (part of the Ryan White Care Act), now might be a good time to do so. See the Useful Resources list in this issue for information on how to contact your elected officials. Also, you can contact the Save ADAP Committee of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC) if you'd like more information and to find out how to get more involved (www.atac-usa.org/adap.html).

No matter how many times we hear it, HIV is not a "chronic manageable disease"—it will always be controversial and always require a fight to keep people alive until there's a cure.

20031010
RI031001

Copyright © 2003 - Research Initiative Treatment Action (RITA!). Reproduced with permission. RITA! is published by The Center for AIDS. Contact Thomas Gegeny, MS, ELS, Editor, RITA! for permission to reproduce RITA!. tom@centerforaids.org. http://www.centerforaids.org

ÆGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

ÆGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1985, 2003. ÆGiS . All materials appearing on ÆGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of ÆGIS , or the party credited as the provider of the content.