The Road Ahead
This is the fifth Positively Aware HIV Drug Guide of which I have had the honor of serving as editor. More than any other issue, the Drug Guide continues to be our most popular issue throughout the year, serving as an invaluable reference tool for people living with HIV, as well as for those who care for them.
When reading through the drug guide, I myself learn something new every year, so I’d like to point out some of the things in this year’s guide that you may find especially useful.
As in years past, each HIV drug that is currently available has a page devoted exclusively to it, which includes the drug’s dose, food and liquid requirements, side effects, interactions, and tips on how to use the drug, as well as viewpoints from a doctor and an activist.
In the center of the issue, you’ll find our ever-popular drug chart, which you can pull out and refer to quickly when you need to identify a certain drug or how to use it (always refer to the drug page or package insert for more information).
An article by this year’s Drug Guide pharmacist, Paul Djuricich, R.Ph., Pharm.D., looks at some of the HIV drugs that are further along in the pipeline. Also included in this issue are handy reference charts that list some of the more common drug side effects and interactions.
The introduction to the Drug Guide gives a brief explanation of the different classes of HIV drugs and how they work, plus some quick tips on how to use the guide. With today’s economy, we all know how important it is to find ways to stretch the dollar, so we’ve added a list of drug co-pay assistance programs that were available as of press time. All of these co-pay assistance programs have launched within the last year, and they pay all or part of your drug co-pay up to a certain amount, with some restrictions. Keep tuned to PA as hopefully more and more companies launch similar programs in the coming months and year.
These co-pay programs are a direct result of discussions and meetings with the Fair Pricing Coalition (FPC), which works on drug pricing issues, and was founded by Martin Delaney, who passed away on January 23. Martin Delaney was a true leader and advocate in the fight against HIV (see [this article] for a special tribute by Daniel Berger, M.D.).
Marty, as most of us knew him, worked with us on last year’s drug guide, providing the activist viewpoint on the drugs. I also worked with Marty on the FPC and the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC). From the very beginning of the epidemic, he worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of those with HIV, altering the course of HIV treatment forever, by ensuring quick access to lifesaving drugs and fighting to get them in the hands of those who needed them most.
And so, with that in mind, we’d like to dedicate the 13th Annual Positively Aware HIV Drug Guide to Martin Delaney. If any one individual exemplifies the progress we’ve made in the treatment of HIV, it’s Marty.
To make it easier to interact with your peers and discuss what’s on your mind, this year we invite you to join our online community forum at www.positivelyaware.com. The forum, which allows users to post and discuss topics of interest to them, has a newly-added drug guide section, where you can share your experience with various drugs, side effects, and drug interactions.
As always, the Drug Guide is an enormous undertaking, and would not be possible without the help of many talented individuals. I’d like to give special thanks to Enid Vázquez, Sue Saltmarsh, Russell McGonagle, Keith Green, Joe Fierke, Gregory Tate, Scott Grannan, Tom Setto, and Mark Larson.
If you’d like your organization to receive bulk shipments of Positively Aware magazine, please email us at distribution@tpan.com. To subscribe to the magazine, or to sign up for our Positively Aware E-mail Update newsletter, visit us at www.positivelyaware.com and click on “subscribe.”
Remember, knowledge is power, and when you have power, you have control; control over your life, your health, and your destiny, giving you the ability to navigate the road ahead.
Take care of yourself, and each other.
Jeff Berry
Editor
publications@tpan.com
