AHF denounces Obama administration plan to address AIDS drug crisis with $25M

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, will host a press teleconference tomorrow, Thursday, July 8^th at 10:00 AM Pacific/1:00 PM Eastern, to denounce an Obama administration plan to address AIDS drug crisis with an insufficient $25 million as "too little, too late." The proposed amount came in a letter from Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Kathleen Sebelius in response to concerns raised by Republican Senators Richard Burr, Tom Coburn, M.D. and Mike Enzi regarding the 2,090 Americans who are currently on waiting lists to receive lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications through the nation's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Due to budget shortfalls, twelve states currently have patient waiting lists to access ADAP services, including Florida—with the nation's third highest case HIV/AIDS load—which instituted an ADAP waiting list just last month.

“While HHS has pledged $25 million in additional funding for ADAP, it is our hope that the Obama administration and Congress will do their part and put in the remaining $101 million to solve this urgent crisis.”

"The Obama administration's plan to allocate $25 million to address the current AIDS drug crisis is simply too little, too late—and could have a devastating impact on those who are languishing on waiting lists, hoping to receive lifesaving AIDS medications," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "Currently, 2090 people are on waiting lists to receive AIDS medications. In May, a person on an ADAP waiting list in South Carolina died while on the waiting list. If the Obama administration plan serves as the only so-called 'fix' for this dangerous situation, we can be assured that the list of those waiting for lifesaving AIDS drugs will only increase and more deaths will follow."

Added Weinstein: "Considering the fact that individuals who are successful on treatment are far less able to transmit the virus than those who are not, the Obama plan could also have negative consequences on current HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, demonstrating a serious disregard for public health."

The letter from HHS states that an allocation of $25 million will be sufficient to respond to the current and projected need through the end of Fiscal Year 2010. However, this amount neglects to take into account future uncertainty regarding budget cuts and the rate at which waiting lists are growing. For example, the Florida ADAP expects to add between 250 and 300 new patients per month to the current waiting list.

In an effort to address the crisis, Senators Burr, Coburn and Enzi introduced S. 3401, the ACCESS ADAP Act, a bill which provides $126 million in unobligated stimulus funds to eliminate waiting lists through Fiscal Year 2010. The bill failed to gain the support of the administration or Congress. The $126 million was a number provided by state AIDS director as the amount of additional federal funding required to meet current program needs given the number of people on waiting lists, expected number of new patients and budget cuts per state.

Given that the cost to provide AIDS medications is roughly $10,000 per patient, per year—the $25 million in additional funding proposed by the Obama administration would barely be enough to cover the 2,090 currently on waiting lists—without taking into account new patients enrolling and further state budget cuts.

Added Weinstein: "While HHS has pledged $25 million in additional funding for ADAP, it is our hope that the Obama administration and Congress will do their part and put in the remaining $101 million to solve this urgent crisis."

Source AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)