AIDS activists go bare to target austerity

With critical HIV treatment deemed too expensive for the NHS, ACT UP London takes on pharmaceutical companies and austerity cuts. Today, on April 1, as part of a global series of direct actions in cities on five continents, naked activists from ACT UP London stood in the lobby of the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, displaying the slogan “Pharma Greed Kills”. Gilead produces Truvada, a type of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which is used to treat HIV in adults and teenagers. Yet at £446 per month, Truvada’s price makes it too expensive for it to be viably considered under the National Health Service.Whilst the high cost of PrEP has a negative effect on those living with HIV by making medication more difficult to obtain, ACT Up London’s protest is about more than challenging the price of these medicines. Pharmaceutical companies are one part of a wider healthcare establishment that values profit margins over public health. As massive cuts to the NHS take effect on people living with HIV, this is a timely and important concern. Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Science Aids and HIV Austerity Health policy Source Type: news