search         a boston based not for profit HIV/AIDS education advocacy group

Reasons For Hope (RFH)

is Search For A Cure's national HIV treatment news series.

RFH covers the latest in developing therapies for treating HIV/AIDS.

RFH is published in over 90 community newspapers and found on many websites for people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. We encourage your comments and critiques. Email hope@sfac.org Feel free to copy and distribute any and all RFH articles.

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Why We Should All be in a Clinical Trial

It is hard to get people to join a study of new medicines nowadays. This is mostly because people think the therapies we have are good enough. It's not true. HIV medicines fail some people. And they are too expensive for most of the world to use.

The medicines we have are not a cure, are a lifelong financial burden and have lots of side effects. The only way to see if new therapies work is to test them on people with HIV. The only way to see if a vaccine will work is to test it on people without HIV. If we want the day to come that HIV is a thing of the past the most important thing we can all do is find a study that needs us and join it.

bush whacked

With great fanfare Bush announced a $15 billion effort passed by the Congress at his request, to fight AIDS around the world - big talk, small steps.

Not a penny of that money has been authorized. And every step of the way right-wingers slow the money down, wanting to put their religion based conditions on every penny.

Many have decided to applaud the effort, surprised the right wing allowed anything to happen at all.

But we should not encourage the half-hearted positive efforts of religious fanatics. Instead, we should be working for regime change.

This month Bush stopped efforts by the Senate and House to increase funding for AIDS in Africa. When he talks big about AIDS in Africa he doesn't tell you he made sure one third of the money must be used for abstinence only programs - a complete waste of 300 million dollars. And none will go to any agencies offering family planning.

And because Bush does not trust the Global AIDS Fund he wants the money to be given out by his State Department that knows absolutely nothing about HIV and chose 14 African countries for funds based on politics not their ability to use the money.

Countries that have spent years planning and developing treatment programs that are left out of Bush's list are outraged.

Here in the U.S. the story is similar.

Scientists are told not to apply for research funds to study safer sex or which use the words condoms or anal sex among others. And money for HIV treatment is shortchanged for people Bush feels are sinners - gays, addicts, sex workers.

Right now, as the largest budgets in history are being passed to pay for you getting felt up at airports and for homeland security' measures to protect everything from bridges to libraries from threats that do not exist, the real and present danger of HIV is being downplayed.

A person not getting HIV medicines means a person becomes more infectious. A person who is not sure that they can get medicine is a person who has no reason to get tested - the most powerful way to slow down transmission.

In the end, people not getting medicines means they get sick and the taxpayer picks up the hospital bills. It's just cheaper to distribute the medicines.

This administration is out of control.

There was no problem and no talk about where the $100 billion to fund Bush's war would come from. But across the nation Bush is telling people with HIV their medicines cost the government too much.

It's not right.

The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors is doing an ADAP Funding Watch. ADAP (the AIDS Drug Assistance Program) is the program many people rely upon to get their antiviral medicines.

ADAP desperately needs a 300 million dollar increase but Bush only has allowed $100 million. Bush gave the war against Iraq a THOUSAND times that!

It's not only not right, its downright stupid because when you come right down to it, the liberated people of Iraq don't vote here. But most people know someone with HIV who does.

14 ADAPs have closed enrollment to new clients or limited access to antiretroviral (ARV) and other treatments. Seven states anticipate the need to implement program restrictions during FY2003 that began April 1, 2003.

ADAPs with waiting lists and/or access restrictions as of April 2003 are:

ADAPs anticipating new/additional restrictions in FY2003:

Right now the biggest threat to people with HIV is the right wing taking away medicines that are saving lives.

For more information check out The Access Project (theaccessproject@aol.com) that is monitoring the funding crisis for AIDS drugs.