(no subject)

[delight]

This was going to be the amazing post about Health Care Corporate Espionage and Passive Takeovers but it's not because I didn't end up having time to write that. That will be access-locked because we can't even talk about it outside locked doors in our own building. Suffice to say that my higher-boss, my boss' direct report, refers to most people involved by names derived from Asimov's Robots series (the original whodunnit mystery ones) and Machineries of Empire. It is quite a story and is actually my life.

This isn't that post because again, today got busy, but.

My personal hero and all around amazing guy, Peter Staley, wrote something important, and I would like everyone who cares about public health even a little to give it a read:

Privilege and Profit Corrupt the PrEP Access Debate

I work (indirectly, but I'm on their contract) for SAMHSA; HRSA is our partner. My father was one of the few physician-members of TAG and can be seen in video clips of protests in How to Survive a Plague. People so often think this is over; that HIV/AIDS stigma and drug/cost battles are a thing of the past, and yes, PrEP's existence contributes to that mentality (ask me sometime about the 'PrEP generation') -- but it's definitely not over. "AIDS, Inc." is not over.

don't talk to me about Martin Shkreli though -- I mean, you can, but the drug he is famous for is not actually an AIDS medicine and that misconcepton makes me nuts

ETA: Further disclosure; I used to also work for the DOHMH STI clinic program described. I continue to be affiliated and refer people there.

Comments

[yhlee]

I read this; thank you for sharing.

[delight]

Thank you for giving it a read! It's an issue really close to my heart for a lot of reasons. I used to work in the thick of it - but here, at the very clinic program cited, so I am privileged in a way.

[syntheid]

fyi, this post is public! I can't really read the article at the moment, but bookmarking for later.

[delight]

It's okay that this one is public; I waffled but there's no IDing info here or anything secret.

Thanks for saving it. <3

Looking forward to the report from the Robot front...

[jesse_the_k]

Wow, that is a great blog entry re PrEP and thank heavens that Peter Staley is still among us kicking ass and taking names.

Gilead’s patient and copay assistance programs

It seems these band-aid programs exist to mollify the patients who are pushy enough to find them, so they don't get pushy enough to demand sensible drug prices.