The Nation - News from Sept. 26, 1989

Alarmed by the high cost of an anti-pneumonia drug that prolongs lives of AIDS patients, an AIDS group announced it will import the drug and sell it at a lower price. The People with AIDS Health Group said in New York that it will begin filling prescriptions for pentamidine in pharmacies in England, bringing the cost for a vial of pentamidine down from as much as $300 in some cities to $40. Since word of the group’s plans became public, more than 200 people have inquired about the possibility of obtaining the drug, said Derek Hodel, the executive director of the PWA Health Group.