Boehringer Ingelheim accused of refusing to increase access to AIDS drugs for low-income patients

Despite a growing national AIDS drug crisis in the USA, independent German pharmaceutical major Boehringer Ingelheim “has steadfastly refused to offer increased access to its lifesaving AIDS drugs or to respond in any way to repeated requests by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, to do its part in creating a solution,” claims the AHF.

Due to a perfect storm of AIDS budget cuts, increased demand and rising drug prices, the federally-funded, state-operated AIDS Drug Assistance program (ADAP) - which currently provides lifesaving AIDS drugs for 165,000 low-income Americans - can no longer provide treatment to all of the people who need it. As of January 2011, more than 5,300 people are on ADAP waiting lists, with an additional 2,500 at risk of being dropped from the program altogether. This crisis is quickly worsening as many larger ADAP programs are being forced to stop providing treatment to new patients. For example, Florida, which has the third highest HIV population in the country, instituted a waiting list in June 2010 that now has 2,800 people on it. California (with 40,000 ADAP patients) has proposed cuts intended to force many patients off the program.

AHF call for PAP streamlining