Treatment Action Group (TAG) is a U.S.-based organization that has been prominent within the movement of

HIV/AIDS activism Activism, Socio-political activism to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS as well as to advance the Management of HIV/AIDS, effective treatment and care of people with AIDS (PWAs) has taken place in multiple locations since the 1980s. The evolution o ...

. Being formed in 1991, it has possessed the goals of working with worldwide efforts to increase research on treatments for

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

and for deadly co-infections that affect individuals with HIV, such as

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, as well as spur on greater access to and efficient usage of already available treatments. The group additionally monitors research on a possible HIV vaccine and on fundamental science aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS.

History

The Treatment Action Group had its origins in the AIDS activist organization,

ACT UP AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, ...

New York. In January 1992, members of the Treatment and Data Committee of ACT UP left the parent group to create a non-profit organization focused on accelerating treatment research.Harrington, Mark. Interview with Sarah Schulman and Jim Hubbard. ACTUP Oral History Project. 16 February 2005. MIX: The New York Lesbian & Gay Experimental Film Festival. 11 December 2005 .TAG at 10: 1992 . During the early 1990s, TAG members, including Mark Harrington and

Spencer Cox Spencer James Cox (born July 11, 1975) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2021 as the 18th governor of Utah. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2013 to 2021 as the eighth lieutenant governor of Utah. In Fairview, ...

, advocated with government scientists, drug company researchers, and

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

officials to speed the development of new HIV therapies. The group produced an influential policy report on government investment in basic science, which recommended increasing funding to the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH) and reorganizing the national AIDS research effort. Following approval of several effective

antiretroviral The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of mu ...

drugs in 1995, Treatment Action Group pressed government and industry to conduct research to understand the long-term effects of the new drugs.TAG at 10 Timeline <>. In 2002, TAG began raising awareness of the impact that

(TB) was having on people with HIV in the developing world. In 2007, the organization received a $4.7 million grant from the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $ ...

to foster increased international advocacy on TB/HIV research and treatment.TAG TB/HIV Press Release < > In 2020,

Doctors Without Borders Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

(MSF) stated that that price

Cepheid Inc Cepheid is an American molecular diagnostics company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation. Its systems automate traditional nucleic acid tests (tests for specific sequences of DNA or RNA). The tests can be used to identify an ...

charged for its Xpert Xpress tests was not affordable in countries where people live on less than two dollars a day. They estimated that the cost to Cepheid of providing the test is as low as US$3, and called the offered US$19.80, price

profiteering Profiteering is a pejorative term for the act of making a profit by methods considered unethical. Overview Business owners may be accused of profiteering when they raise prices during an emergency ( especially a war). The term is also applied to ...

, asking that Cepheid make a more moderate profit by selling the tests for US$5 each. TAG seconded this request, saying that the development of the tests, and their purchase and global deployment, has been done with public funds, while the owners of Cepeid made profits of $3 billion in 2019. They requested the same price reduction for all the tests using the same technique, including

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, TB, and

, as the costs are similar regardless of the disease (the tests convert the

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself (non-coding RNA) or by forming a template for the production of proteins (messenger RNA). RNA and deoxyrib ...

of the

RNA virus An RNA virus is a virus characterized by a ribonucleic acid (RNA) based genome. The genome can be single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) or double-stranded (Double-stranded RNA, dsRNA). Notable human diseases caused by RNA viruses include influenza, SARS, ...

into DNA, then tests for the presence of some DNA sequences). This request started the "Time for $5" campaign. On June 20, 2024, MSF announced its Access To Medicines campaign is shutting down. TAG criticized the move by MSF in an open letter by Mark Harrington. The open letter declares: "The shuttering of the Access Campaign will have an extremely negative effect on the very populations whom MSF stands in solidarity.... We urge you to reverse the decision to close down the Access Campaign and engage with our communities to ensure continued collaboration."

Mission statement

Treatment Action Group's mission statement describes the group as: "an independent AIDS research and policy think tank fighting for better treatment, a vaccine, and a cure for AIDS."

TAG works to ensure that all people with HIV receive life saving treatment, care, and information. We are science-based treatment activists working to expand and accelerate vital research and effective community engagement with research and policy institutions. TAG catalyzes open collective action by all affected communities, scientists, and policymakers to end AIDS.About TAG <>.

In the media

TAG's September 1991 demonstration at the home of

Senator Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

was documented in

Robert Hilferty Robert Hilferty (December 14, 1959 – July 24, 2009) was an American journalist, filmmaker, and AIDS activist based in New York City. Career Hilferty began his career in 1988 working as a production assistant for Robert Altman on ''The Cain ...

's film ''

I Wrapped a Giant Condom Over Jesse Helms' House I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plu ...

''. The relationship between TAG and

is also discussed in the 2012 documentary ''

How to Survive a Plague ''How to Survive a Plague'' is a 2012 American documentary film depicting the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and the efforts of activist groups ACT UP and TAG. It was directed by David France, a journalist who covered AIDS from its beginnings ...

''.

References

External links

* {{Authority control HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States Medical and health organizations based in New York (state)