DRUGS/HHS/HIV-AIDS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Hundreds of thousands of uninsured people may soon have access to medication meant to curb the HIV epidemic. President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced on Twitter that the administration has worked with biotechnology company Gilead to secure a donation of an HIV prevention drug. Truvada is a PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which can prevent transmission of HIV to those at risk of acquiring infection…Gilead said in a press release on Thursday [5-9-19] that the company has agreed to provide up to 2.4 million bottles of the drug Truvada annually to the Center for Disease Control. The drug will go to ‘uninsured Americans at risk for HIV,’ the release said. That will amount to supplying about 200,000 individuals annually for up to 11 years, Azar tweeted. While 1.1 million Americans are at risk for HIV, only about 200,000 currently receive Truvada, according to Gilead. Without insurance, the drug can run about $1,500 a month.”
–Madeline Holcombe, “Up to 200,000 uninsured people may soon have access to HIV prevention medication,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 9, 2019 12:03 am