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

HIV/AIDS activism Social activism, Social and Political protest, political activism to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, as well as to raise funds for treatment of HIV/AIDS, effective treatment and care of people with AIDS (PWAs), has taken place in multiple nations ...

. 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 immune ...

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 people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, 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, 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 s ...

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, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(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 multipl ...

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 tuberculosis (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 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

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

Doctors without borders Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

stated that that price

Cepheid Inc Cepheid is an American molecular diagnostics company. Its systems automate traditional nucleic acid tests (tests for specific sequences of DNA or RNA). The tests can be used to identify and analyze pathogens and genetic disorders. Cepheid sells ...

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, 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 a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and

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 people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

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

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

of the

RNA virus An RNA virus is a virusother than a retrovirusthat has ribonucleic acid (RNA) as its genetic material. The nucleic acid is usually single-stranded RNA ( ssRNA) but it may be double-stranded (dsRNA). Notable human diseases caused by RNA viruses ...

into DNA, then tests for the presence of some DNA sequences). This request started the "Time for $5" campaign.

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 <>.

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 Cai ...

'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 ), plural ...

''. 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 about 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. Fr ...

References

External links

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