Ep 78 Pride & Passion: Dallas Buyers Club, the HIV Crisis, and the Science That Changed Everything

In Episode 78, Tara and Nicole use the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club as a lens to explore one of the most consequential medical crises in modern history: the HIV/AIDS pandemic. From the 1981 CDC reports of a mysterious illness decimating a community to the 2024 IAS-USA guidelines recommending single-pill daily ART, this episode traces the full arc — the science of HIV pathogenesis, the evolution of antiretroviral therapy, the lifesaving frameworks of PrEP, PEP, and U=U, and the patient activism that reshaped FDA drug approval forever. Ron Woodroof's buyers club was an act of desperation. The medicine that followed was a triumph. Sources: AIDS — The First 20 Years. Sepkowitz KA. NEJM. 2001 — https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM200106073442306 Response to the AIDS Pandemic. Piot P, Quinn TC. NEJM. 2013 — https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1201533 Antiretroviral Therapy and Management of HIV Infection. Volberding PA, Deeks SG. Lancet. 2010 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60676-9 Development of ARV Therapy for AIDS. Yarchoan R, Broder S. NEJM. 1987 — https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198702263160925 HIV Epidemiology, Prevention, Treatment, and Implementation Strategies. Mody A et al. Lancet. 2024 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01381-8 Global Burden of HIV/AIDS, 1990–2021. GBD 2021 HIV Collaborators. Lancet HIV. 2024 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(24)00212-1 ARV Drugs for Treatment and Prevention — 2024 IAS-USA Recommendations. Gandhi RT et al. JAMA. 2025 — https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.24543 HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis: A Review. Riddell J et al. JAMA. 2018 — https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.1917 HIV Infection: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention. Maartens G et al. Lancet. 2014 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60164-1 Molecular Biology of HIV Type 1 Infection. Greene WC. NEJM. 1991 — https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199101313240506 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment. Simon V et al. Lancet. 2006 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69157-5 Guidelines for ARV Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection. Hazra R et al. OARAC. 2024 — https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines/pediatric-arv Recommendations for ARV Use During Pregnancy. Badell ML et al. OARAC. 2025 — https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines/perinatal HIV Infection — Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Saag MS. NEJM. 2021 — https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp1915826 Guidelines for ARV Agents in Adults and Adolescents With HIV. Gulick RM et al. OARAC. 2024 — https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines/adult-and-adolescent-arv ARV Drugs for Treatment and Prevention of HIV — 2022 IAS-USA Panel. Gandhi RT et al. JAMA. 2023 — https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.22246 HIV. Ghosn J et al. Lancet. 2018 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31311-4 FDA Orange Book — Approved Drug Products — https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm Episodes every Monday ⭐️ Subscribe, Rate and Review! 🍸 Recipes drop on socials Discounts: 15% off Comfrt apparel Purple Carrot: 40% off your first box ClassPass: 2 weeks free 15% off non-alcoholic spirits at The Zero Proof 💳 Support us on Patreon | ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee Contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.