“HOUSE OF NUMBERS” NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS NORTH AMERICA ON VIDEO ON DEMAND

Los Angeles, CA – June 3, 2010 – It was announced today that the acclaimed HIV / AIDS documentary House of Numbers is now available in over 50 million North American homes with access to video on demand (VOD) offerings. Cable, satellite and telco operators playing the film in the United States include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Verizon, Cablevision, DIRECTV, DISH Network, RCN, Insight, Mediacom, and Suddenlink. 

In Canada the film will be available to digital subscribers of Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco, Shaw and Telus. House of Numbers will also be available through Apple iTunes and on Amazon VOD.

One of the most buzzed about independent films of the year – the critically acclaimed and divisive HIV/AIDS documentary premiered theatrically in January 2010 but began making waves over a year earlier as it screened on the film festival circuit to tremendously curious audiences around the world, wanting to see a film that showcases how the HIV/AIDS story is being rewritten.

House of Numbers presents the uncensored POVs of virtually all the notable players in the HIV / AIDS world; in their own settings, in their own words. It rocks the foundation upon which all conventional wisdom regarding HIV/AIDS is based. The documentary raises new questions -- presenting global and conflicting viewpoints from an unprecedented array of over 30 of the most prominent and influential figures in the field, among them Nobel Laureates, the co-discoverers of HIV, Presidential advisors, the former Executive Director of UNAIDS, as well as survivors and activists. Surprising revelations and stunning contradictions are the result.

Commented director Brett Leung “We’re are very excited that audiences across North America will have easy access to experience ‘House of Numbers’. We believe Video on Demand is a great medium to further the ongoing discussion around the film.”

About the film:

What is HIV? What is AIDS? What is being done to cure it? These questions sent Canadian filmmaker Brent Leung on a worldwide journey, from the highest echelons of the medical research establishment to the slums of South Africa, where death and disease are the order of the day. In this up-to-the-minute documentary, he observes that although AIDS has been front-page news for over 28 years, it is barely understood. Despite the great effort, time, and money spent, no cure is in sight.

The film unveils candid conversations on several key points: Why does the definition of AIDS change from country to country and over time? Why do esteemed scientists debate over the HIV virus? Are HIV tests reliable globally? Are the worldwide statistics correct? What are the dangers of the drug treatments?

Scientists and prominent figures featured in House of Numbers include: Professor Luc Montagnier MD, 2008 Nobel Prize winner for discovering the HIV virus, David Baltimore PhD, 1975 Nobel Prize winner; Kenneth Cole, Chairman of AMFAR; James Curran MD, who began his career with the CDC and held leadership positions for the CDC's HIV/AIDs research; Anthony S Fauci, Director of NIAID; Robert Gallo MD, PhD, co-discoverer of the HIV virus; Michael Gottlieb MD, credited as first doctor to diagnose AIDS; and Peter Piot MD, PhD, Director of Institute of Global Health and former Executive Director of UNAIDS.

First-time filmmaker, Brent Leung, grew up as part of the "AIDS generation" - he's never known a world without it.  Yet with all of its notoriety, he realized the average person did not know that much about HIV and AIDS. What began as a 15-minute film project built around the simple question "What is HIV/AIDS?" revealed itself to be a much deeper journey. House of Numbers became a multi-faceted project that took him across five continents. Leung reveals a research establishment in disarray, and health policy gone tragically off course.

More information on the film can be found at www.houseofnumbers.com.

Contacts 

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8687 Melrose Ave

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ddembia@rogersandcowan.com

FDA Panel Gives Thumbs Up for Egrifta

From Medscape Medical News 

Fran Lowry

May 28, 2010 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee has unanimously endorsed approval of tesamorelin acetate (Egrifta; Theratechnologies, Inc, Montreal) to induce and maintain a reduction of excess visceral abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy.

The committee based its approval on data presented by the sponsor that showed that 57% of patients taking tesamorelin experienced an 8% or greater reduction in abdominal fat compared with 29% of patients taking placebo.

The panel was also positively swayed by "compelling" testimony by 2 HIV-positive patients who told them how devastating it was to live with the unsightly accumulation of belly fat — an adverse effect of antiretroviral therapy — that immediately labeled them as "AIDS patients."

One by one, the 16 members of the panel gave their reasons for their yes votes. All said the sponsor clearly proved what they had set out to prove.

"I voted yes and it was an easy decision. The sponsor was asked to show a reduction of visceral adipose tissue and they did that," said Abraham Thomas, MD, MPH, division head of endocrinology, diabetes, bone and mineral disorders, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan. "They showed an improvement in patients' perception of their body image, that patients felt better about their appearance. That's what they were asked to do and they did that very well in their series of clinical trials."

Clifford J. Rosen, MD, director of clinical and translational research and senior scientist at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough, also found that the decision to endorse tesamorelin was an easy one to make. He added that, in the short term at least, "there are few safety issues, so I didn't feel uncomfortable. This was not a hard choice."

Safety Concerns: IGF-1, Diabetes Risk
 
But the panel did have safety concerns. Among them were concerns about increases in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which may promote tumor growth.

"I am very concerned about IGF-1," Dr. Rosen said. "There must be some way of labeling about frequent monitoring of IGF-1 levels. I think this is going to be a long-term issue. Currently, it's hypothetical, but it is a concern and both the patient and the prescribing physician should be aware of this."

Earlier in the day, some panel members had also expressed concerns about the increased risk for diabetes with tesamorelin. However, by the time it came to a vote, the panel felt that the benefits of the drug outweighed the risk.

"I harped a lot about diabetes and the risk factors, but I don't think we should be restricting people with HIV who have diabetes," Dr. Thomas said. "If someone has diabetes and is well controlled, that person should have an opportunity because they are suffering the same psychological issues of body image and being identified in the community as being on HIV treatment."

A similar opinion was expressed by David S. Schade, MD, professor of medicine and chief, Division of Endocrinology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque.

"If this drug does not cause deterioration of glucose control, then it ought to be used in patients with diabetes. We should not exclude them," Dr. Schade said. "I would recommend that the FDA not include any language about excluding patients with diabetes. They can certainly say that there is no data supporting the use of this in diabetes, but I would hate to see all my diabetic patients potentially being excluded from this medication."

Prescribing Guidelines Requested
 
Panel members also asked the FDA to come up with guidelines for clinicians in prescribing tesamorelin.

"As a clinician, I would like some specific criteria on when to stop Egrifta if the patient is not responding," said Princy N. Kumar, MD, professor of medicine and microbiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. "At what point, and with what measurements, do we say to a patient, 'you are not responding, we have given it to you for so many months and you are not going to respond any further'? I would like very concrete information on when to stop."

George A. Bishopric, MD, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who was the patient representative on the panel, commented that the degree of suffering that HIV patients with lipodystrophy experience, as well as the fact that there is no other agent for this indication, warranted approval. "We all want follow-up for cardiovascular issues, IGF-1, diabetes, and this will have to be done in postmarketing studies, but I am very happy that it passed."

"There is no question that lipodystrophy causes a fair amount of psychological distress, as well as difficulty in functioning. It has been associated with depression, and depression has been incontrovertibly associated with poor adherence and poor outcomes in disease progression," said Vicki Cargill, MD, director of minority research, Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Cargill added that a registry or another form of postmarketing surveillance is needed, and other panel members agreed.

"The population in this study were mostly Caucasian and do not reflect the population that is heavily impacted by the epidemic, so it would be important to see data in such a population," she said.
The panel also debated whether reducing abdominal fat translated into a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.

"The issue with regard to cardiovascular outcomes is certainly not shown at all by the sponsor, and we have no clue whether there is an adverse cardiovascular outcome or a benefit by reducing belly fat," said Mark E. Molitch, MD, professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. "This deserves study, whether through some registry or prospective placebo-controlled trials, which I prefer, but which might be difficult to do."

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/722647

See House of Numbers to learn more about HIV Drugs

Remembering AIDS 2000 – Hope and Controversy in Durban

by Joe DeCapua

While much attention is being paid to South Africa as the host of Africa’s first World Cup, the nation also made history 10 years ago when it hosted the 13^th International AIDS Conference.  It was the first time the world’s largest AIDS gathering was held in a developing country and it changed the way future conferences would be held.

The theme of the 13^th International AIDS Conference was “Break the Silence.”  And at the opening ceremony in Durban, performers chanted “No” to the fear and reluctance to talk openly about HIV/AIDS, which had already killed millions.

Monumental task

The conference – known as AIDS 2000 – faced many obstacles.  Could an African country host an international conference attracting thousands of participants?  Would South Africa’s high crime rate scare people away?  Would the idea of focusing more on the social aspects of the disease be successful?

We have a monumental task ahead of us.  And there’s not a second to look back to our yesterdays, to look back at our fears and frustrations.  We have no other choice but to go forward and to keep our minds on acting firmly on the knowledge we already have; and of uncovering new ideas and new knowledge on what should be done.”


AIDS 2000 chairman, Professor Gerry Coovadia, speaking on opening day, July 9^th, 2000.  Today, Dr. Coovadia, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, considers the legacy of the conference.

“Without exaggerating its impact, it certainly is considered one of the landmark AIDS conferences in the world.  And that includes those that have been held recently.  And I think the reason it is considered a landmark conference is that quite a number of issues came to the fore,” he said.

Denial

Controversy surrounded the Durban AIDS conference even before it opened.  President Thabo Mbeki was at the center of it, skeptical a virus was the cause of HIV/AIDS.  He said his position was based, in part, on a World Health Organization report that outlined the many health problems facing South Africa and other nations on the continent.  Mbeki also said poverty was a major contributor to poor health.

It seemed to me that we could not blame everything on a single virus.  It seemed to me also that every living African, whether in good or ill health, is prey to many enemies of health that would interact one upon the other in many ways within one human body,” said Mbeki.

Critics feared if President Mbeki appeared to doubt the link between HIV and the disease, people would not practice safe sex and use condoms.

“One of the questions I’ve asked is: are safe sex, condoms and antiretroviral drugs a sufficient response to the health catastrophes that we face?”

The debate and anger over the issue drew the attention of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who spoke at the closing ceremonies.

“So much unnecessary attention around this conference had been directed towards the dispute that is unintentionally distracting from the real life and death issues we are confronted with as a country,” said Mandela.

He said it would be wrong for the controversy to overshadow the goals of the 13^th international AIDS Conference.

“This is not an academic conference.  This is, as I understand it, a gathering of human beings concerned about turning around one of the greatest threats humankind has faced.  And certainly, the greatest after the end of the great wars of the previous century,” Mandela said.

Professor Coovadia recalls Mbeki’s denial of the virus link and its consequences. “He disputed the efficacy of some of the (antiretroviral) drugs, which is in a way just as bad or even worse - because it prevented access to drugs, which could have been affordable at least to South Africa,” he said.

In the end, the words of Nelson Mandela became a battle cry for many at the Conference. “In the face of the great threat posed by HIV/AIDS, we have to rise above our differences and combine our efforts to save our people….  Let us not equivocate. A tragedy of unprecedented proportion is unfolding in Africa,” he said.

Professor Coovadia said Mandel’s words affected him personally.

“I came as close to weeping as I possibly could.  And I think more than that, you may not remember, there was an absolute, unqualified and spontaneous standing ovation for what Mr. Mandela said.
However, Coovadia describes the fight against HIV/AIDS during the Mbeki administration as the “worst years.” He says government policies delayed needed treatment and misinformed and confused the public.

Coovadia now serves on President Zuma’s 26-member National Planning Commission.
Many consider AIDS 2000 as the first major conference to put a human face on the epidemic.  UNAIDS estimates about 60 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV since the epidemic began about 30 years ago.  About 25 million have died from HIV-related illnesses.  The vast majority of those living with and dying from HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The next International AIDS Conference, the 18^th, will be held in Vienna July 18^th through the 23^rd.

Watch House of Numbers to see more on the 2000 AIDS Conference and the AIDS debate. 

Suspended Over Naughty Words in H.I.V. Class, Teacher Wins U.S. Ruling

Published: May 20, 2010
By SHARON OTTERMAN

A Staten Island middle school teacher who was removed from the classroom after allowing her eighth graders to use vulgar terms during a lesson on H.I.V. won her first battle against the city in federal court on Thursday, when a judge overruled a city effort to dismiss her case.

On Feb. 6, 2008, the teacher, Faith Kramer, a health and physical education teacher at Intermediate School 72 on Staten Island, taught a state-mandated lesson on the various behaviors that can transmit H.I.V./AIDS. According to legal documents filed with the case, she wrote down the polite words for sexual organs, sexual acts and bodily fluids on the board — and then asked her students to list any other terms they might know for those things.

In doing so, the judge ruled, she appeared to be following the spirit of a state syllabus that directed that students be encouraged to use sexual terms that they understood, so that they could relate those words to the more formal terminology. “If students use different terms,” the syllabus says, “make sure they understand the relationship between both sets of terms.”

Ms. Kramer argued that she did not ask students to write the resulting slang words, euphemisms and vulgarities in their notebooks, but some did. As a result, some of Ms. Kramer’s 30 students went home with neatly transcribed lists of off-color words for sexual acts and body parts, including two Yiddishisms for the male sexual organ. At least one parent called the school to complain, court documents state.

The next day, Peter Macellari, the principal, requested that school officials open an investigation into the episode, and the Department of Education removed Ms. Kramer, a 26-year veteran teacher with a clean disciplinary record, from the classroom, the court documents state. She was informed by letter that she was being investigated for “corporal punishment” and was sent to an administrative detention center, known colloquially as a “rubber room,” where she continued to receive her salary.

The city investigation found that Ms. Kramer had violated a regulation that prohibited verbal abuse, or discipline “by use of language that tends to cause fear, physical or mental distress.” But no formal charges were ever brought, and Mr. Macellari returned Ms. Kramer last September to the classroom, where she continues to teach health. In March, she filed a federal suit against the city seeking $1 million in damages for mental anguish, lawyer’s fees and the loss of extra after-school work.

In his ruling, Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the United States District Court in Brooklyn wrote that the city violated the due process clause of the 14th Amendment by not providing Ms. Kramer with a reasonable opportunity to know that her lesson plan was inappropriate before removing her from the classroom. Neither the corporal punishment nor the verbal abuse regulations were properly applied, because she was trying to teach, not punish students, he wrote.

“Her lesson was in compliance with all of the guidelines with which she had been provided,” said Duane C. Felton, Ms. Kramer’s lawyer, on Thursday. The next step, he said, will be to meet with the city lawyers to see if a financial settlement can be reached.

In a statement, Blanche Greenfield, a senior city lawyer, said that the words the students used, some of which she repeated in the statement, were “entirely inappropriate.”

“Their use in the classroom reflects unacceptable and extremely poor judgment by the teacher and is plainly not consistent with community values,” Ms. Greenfield said.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/nyregion/21ruling.html

See House of Numbers to learn more about HIV and AIDS. 
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Tuberculosis most deadly of 'neglected' diseases

PARIS — More than nine out of ten cases of tuberculosis, which kills 1.8 million people each year, could be averted by 2050 with better testing, drugs and vaccines, according to a major review released Wednesday.

Treatment from 1995 to 2008 saved six million lives, according to the review, published in the British medical journal The Lancet. But TB remains a deadly scourge that fails to attract as many health dollars, euros and yen as other diseases claiming as many or fewer victims, the journal said.

"Tuberculosis is unfashionable these days," said Lesotho Health Minister Mphu Ramatlapeng at a press conference in Geneva, where the report was unveiled at the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Some 36 million people infected with TB during 1995-2008 were cured and incidence of the lung-wasting disease has begun to regress, but only by about one percent per year.

The most urgent -- and most easily remedied -- problem is poor diagnosis, the report said.
More than 80 percent of all TB cases occur in only 22 countries, including nine in Africa, 11 in Asia, and Russia.

Detection rates have improved over the last 15 years, but nearly 40 percent of active infections in those nations still go untreated.

Even worse, only a quarter of the estimated 1.4 million people infected with both tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS have been identified, the study reported. HIV increases the risk of TB 20 fold.
Up to two-thirds of cases in South Africa and Zimbabwe, for example, are thought to be caused by HIV co-infection.

Frequent testing for HIV and the early start of antiretroviral treatment (ART) would help cut incidence by reducing the number of people with compromised immune systems, it said.

Another looming threat are so-called "multidrug-resistant" (MDR) forms of TB.
Most types of tuberculosis can be cured with ten euros (13 dollars) worth of medicine if diagnosed early.
But when patients fail to complete a treatment, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis germ that causes the disease develops a resistance to frontline drugs such as isoniazid and rifampicin.
Treating the new superbugs costs thousands of dollars (euros) and can take up to two years, and even then may fail.

"Without significant investment in technology and capacity for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, MDR-TB threatens to become the dominant strain of TB over the next few decades," the study warns.
"The future possibility of strains that are totally resistant to all anti-tuberculosis drugs is not inconceivable."

In 2008, some 440,000 cases of MDR-TB occurred worldwide, half of them in China and India. Only seven percent, however, of these infections were treated.

Turning back the tide on TB will require boosting basic health care infrastructure and targeted prevention measures, including improved vaccines, better use of antibiotics and reduction of risk factors.

There remains a "desperate need" for a more accurate, cheaper test for detection, and for so-called "biomarkers" that predict whether an individual is more likely to be cured by treatment or to relapse, and whether vaccines will work.

All of this takes money, which has fallen far short of needs: the funding gap in high-burden countries -- measured against the Global Plan to Stop TB -- is some half-a-billion dollars in 2010, the study reports.

"Tuberculosis can no longer be the neglected sister of HIV and malaria," the authors say, pointing out that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) spend about seven percent as much on TB research as for HIV, even though both diseases kill roughly the same number of people worldwide.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Article source:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ju30K5Rm2Cz5OiTTziA3Kt8w6vqw

See House of Numbers to learn more about HIV and AIDS.

Santa Cruz Festival Juror Matt Norman Praises House of Numbers

Santa Cruz Film Festival Juror Matt Norman weighs in with his reaction following his screening of House of Numbers.

"This film truly demonstrates why documentary film is important. Whether you believe in the conspiracy or not, the filmmaker went out and made a statement. A very dangerous statement that can cause an amazing amount of conversations. This film stands out on its own purely because I was asking questions for over a week with other people about their own thoughts on AIDS. When a filmmaker has the guts to "ASK A QUESTION AGAINST THE NORM" then it's the audience that has to answer that question. The proof was there but still you had to wonder who the scientists were that gave the proof. Which has certainly opened my eyes to ask the question 'What if this film holds the real truth'? For me that makes this my favorite film."



House of Numbers is nominated for Best Documentary. Winners will be announced at the Closing Ceremony on Saturday, May 15, 2010. 

Visit Matt's site: http://www.wingmanpictures.com/#/homepage/ and check out his award winning film Salute.

Matthew Travis "Matt" Norman is an actor turned filmmaker, best known for his acting work on Australian TV Shows Blue Heelers, Neighbours and Stingers, U.S telemovies Moby-Dick, Silver Strand and Ghost Rider. (Source: Wikipedia)

President Obama on the Scientific Method

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/text_of_remarks_of_president_barack_obama/

Excerpt from President Obama’s remarks on stem cell research and scientific integrity, given at the White House.

"But let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources — it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda — and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology." 

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Ensuring America’s continued global leadership in scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs.

Today, with the Executive Order I am about to sign, we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers; doctors and innovators; patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years: we will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research. We will vigorously support scientists who pursue this research. And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield.

At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown, and it should not be overstated. But scientists believe these tiny cells may have the potential to help us understand, and possibly cure, some of our most devastating diseases and conditions. To regenerate a severed spinal cord and lift someone from a wheelchair. To spur insulin production and spare a child from a lifetime of needles. To treat Parkinson’s, cancer, heart disease and others that affect millions of Americans and the people who love them.

But that potential will not reveal itself on its own. Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident. They result from painstaking and costly research — from years of lonely trial and error, much of which never bears fruit — and from a government willing to support that work. From life-saving vaccines, to pioneering cancer treatments, to the sequencing of the human genome — that is the story of scientific progress in America. When government fails to make these investments, opportunities are missed. Promising avenues go unexplored. Some of our best scientists leave for other countries that will sponsor their work. And those countries may surge ahead of ours in the advances that transform our lives.

But in recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research — and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly.

It is a difficult and delicate balance. Many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about, or strongly oppose, this research. I understand their concerns, and we must respect their point of view.
But after much discussion, debate and reflection, the proper course has become clear. The majority of Americans — from across the political spectrum, and of all backgrounds and beliefs — have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research. That the potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight, the perils can be avoided.

That is a conclusion with which I agree. That is why I am signing this Executive Order, and why I hope Congress will act on a bi-partisan basis to provide further support for this research. We are joined today by many leaders who have reached across the aisle to champion this cause, and I commend them for that work.

Ultimately, I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek. No President can promise that. But I can promise that we will seek them — actively, responsibly, and with the urgency required to make up for lost ground. Not just by opening up this new frontier of research today, but by supporting promising research of all kinds, including groundbreaking work to convert ordinary human cells into ones that resemble embryonic stem cells.

I can also promise that we will never undertake this research lightly. We will support it only when it is both scientifically worthy and responsibly conducted. We will develop strict guidelines, which we will rigorously enforce, because we cannot ever tolerate misuse or abuse. And we will ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction. It is dangerous, profoundly wrong, and has no place in our society, or any society.

This Order is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America. But let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources — it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda — and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.

By doing this, we will ensure America’s continued global leadership in scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. That is essential not only for our economic prosperity, but for the progress of all humanity.

That is why today, I am also signing a Presidential Memorandum directing the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision making. To ensure that in this new Administration, we base our public policies on the soundest science; that we appoint scientific advisors based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology; and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions. That is how we will harness the power of science to achieve our goals — to preserve our environment and protect our national security; to create the jobs of the future, and live longer, healthier lives.

As we restore our commitment to science, and expand funding for promising stem cell research, we owe a debt of gratitude to so many tireless advocates, some of whom are with us today, many of whom are not. Today, we honor all those whose names we don’t know, who organized, and raised awareness, and kept on fighting — even when it was too late for them, or for the people they love. And we honor those we know, who used their influence to help others and bring attention to this cause — people like Christopher and Dana Reeve, who we wish could be here to see this moment.

One of Christopher’s friends recalled that he hung a sign on the wall of the exercise room where he did his grueling regimen of physical therapy. It read: “For everyone who thought I couldn’t do it. For everyone who thought I shouldn’t do it. For everyone who said, ‘It’s impossible.’ See you at the finish line.”

Christopher once told a reporter who was interviewing him: “If you came back here in ten years, I expect that I’d walk to the door to greet you.”

Christopher did not get that chance. But if we pursue this research, maybe one day — maybe not in our lifetime, or even in our children’s lifetime — but maybe one day, others like him might.
There is no finish line in the work of science. The race is always with us — the urgent work of giving substance to hope and answering those many bedside prayers, of seeking a day when words like “terminal” and “incurable” are potentially retired from our vocabulary.

Today, using every resource at our disposal, with renewed determination to lead the world in the discoveries of this new century, we rededicate ourselves to this work.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.


Watch House of Numbers to learn more about the scientific AIDS debate.