The Problem with Patents
Publisher: Frontline AIDS
The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1996 was one of the most significant interventions in the history of the HIV response. Combination therapy today means that in many parts of the world, AIDS is no longer seen as a death sentence. However, in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, very few people could access this treatment. People living with HIV led efforts across the world to improve access to treatment including campaigning to reduce the prices of HIV medicines. In 2018, over 23 million people were accessing ART but the struggle to ensure affordable access to treatment for all is not over.