Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), a national non-profit dedicated to advocating for improved access and affordability of important medicines, hosted a conference at UCLA bringing together researchers and policymakers from across the nation. With the theme of People Over Profit, the weekend’s activities centered around discussing systemic barriers to medicines and initiating policy reform that supports UAEM’s mission.
To set the stage for the weekend, the first panel focused on the critical role of insulin pricing and the obstacles it creates. It featured speakers from across the drug access landscape, including the non-profit T1International, the consumer advocacy coalition Health Access California, and the Roybal Comprehensive Health Center. Each speech reiterated the importance of considering the mental and emotional burden of overpriced insulin in addition to the financial cost, reflecting broader gaps in equitable healthcare access. Communities of color specifically face a higher disease burden in accessing medicines like insulin.
The second panel shed light on barriers that come with implementing groundbreaking scientific research. Wes Sundquist, a biochemist at the University of Utah, kicked off this panel by presenting his work on the biological mechanisms of HIV. Ultimately, this led to the development of Lenacapavir by Gilead Sciences, which has been approved as a preventative medicine for HIV, and is currently the closest medication to a vaccine for HIV. Unfortunately, Gilead has not been transparent about its production capacity and intentions with rollout, limiting global access to this groundbreaking advancement.
In addition to several specialized workshops and research poster presentations, the conference inspired many attendees to learn more about the Access to Medicines Movement and become more involved with healthcare policy.
Attendee Amber Suthaharan, a third-year UCLA student double-majoring in Economics and Global Studies, was fascinated by the workshop about trade policy and corporate interests. “It didn’t just inform attendants, but also encouraged us to think about how we can apply what we learned, which made the experience very meaningful,” Suthaharan said.
This event underscores the need for diverse representation in public health policy, ensuring that communities like APIDA populations have a voice in these discussions. Advocating for representation in healthcare is crucial to developing medical standards that reflect and fit the unique racial, cultural, and biological needs of all individuals. This weekend exemplifies the power that university students have to bring awareness to health care issues and enact real change—from our university campus to the real world.
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