There was a time in 1996 when the LGBTQ community finally sighed with relief. Especially those amongst us who had been diagnosed HIV+. It was because of the discovery of protease inhibitors that could prevent viral replication by selectively binding to viral proteases (e.g. HIV-1 protease) and blocking proteolytic cleavage of protein precursors that are necessary for the production of infectious viral particles. It simply meant HIV + AIDS was no longer an automatic death sentence.
It was a significant personal moment for me as my ‘husband’ who had died of an AIDS-related illness in the October of 1995 knew that the monitoring of his treatment was contributing to the research for the elusive cure. I was so proud of him for how much he wanted to be able to help the outcome for future generations.
Since that time too many of us may have taken our eyes off the ball and relaxed because of what we may have considered was the eradication of the threats to our lives now that AIDS was under control. This compelling eye-opening documentary directed by Zeberiah Newman and produced by Octavia Spencer brings us sharp to remind us that the war against the disease may have dropped from the limelight BUT it is far from over.
In the last decade several States, and then the US Congress passed Right To Try Laws that were created with the intent of allowing terminally ill patients access to experimental therapies (drugs, biologics, devices) that have completed Phase I testing but have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
When one such clinical Trial for a potential HIV cure started in LA, casting Director Jeffery Drew answered the call and signed up. He had been HIV+ for some 30 years and was doing well on his meds and there was every risk that the experimental treatment could destroy his health. Bit he still said yes.
Newnan’s film follows Drew over the months as the effects of the trial played fast and loose with his heath. At one stage he is ill enough to stay put in his bed for almost a month as he questions out loud his reasoning for continuing. He really is the hero of the piece and it is obvious that he has put his own life on the line not to cure his own HIV but for the sake of others.
One of the deciding factors to make Drew volunteer was the mere fact that the study was for once not done under the auspices of the major pharmaceutical companies. They were, as usual, the big villains of the story with Newman including footage of Congressional Hearings when the CEO of Gilead failed completely to justify the billions of dollars in profit every single day of people on the AIDS spectrum.
I was aware that whilst Australians can pay $8 for a course of Prep, whereas in the US, Gilead the owners of the patent charge some $2500 for the same drugs. However what was news to me was the fact when any such patent lapses, Gilead will twerk it somehow so it starts off again as brand new.
I don’t think Newman necessarily set out to paint Gilead and the other big pharmas in a bad light, but sticking simply to the facts of the matter, it is impossible not to sit there without seething with anger. Being able to survive HIV should not be based on whether a person could afford drugs especially when the manufacturing costs are minimal.
For example, in the US the protease inhibitors started off costing $15,000 per person per year and are now $45,000 representing a 300% increase in 25 years.
Drew put his life on the line as a commitment to his peers and their future, He didn’t receive a single cent for his efforts. Although Gilead may not be behind his trial, if it is successful, they are the ones who will jump on it to turn it into a cash cow.
My late ‘husband’ and all the friends we lost would be so proud and thankful to Jeffrey Drew and the others on this trial for carrying the torch. They would also be horrified to know that in the 25 mins it took to watch this film, Gilead made another $1.3 billion.
The film is streaming for FREE https://www.peacocktv.com/
Labels:
