BBC Documentaries

The People VS The NHS: Who Gets The Drugs? (2018x144)

: 27, 2018

PrEP is a drug that experts believe could end the HIV and AIDS epidemic. But in 2016, after 18 months of consultation, the NHS made the controversial decision that they could not fund it. Thirty five million people have died from HIV and AIDS, but today advancements in medical science mean that HIV no longer has to be a death sentence, as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents the virus developing in the body. This is the incredible story of the battle for PrEP on the NHS: a legal fight which saw doctors, activists and AIDS charities come together to overturn the NHS decision. It was the start of an emotive battle which would see the cost of the treatment publicly pitted against the cost of prosthetic limbs, blood cancer drugs and drugs for children with cystic fibrosis. At the heart of the story is one man, Greg Owen, pictured, who helped stop thousands becoming HIV positive by setting up a website which allowed people to buy generic PrEP from drug manufacturers in India. Despite being homeless and without a wage, Greg found himself running Britain’s main gateway to PrEP from his mother’s kitchen in Belfast.