In a dramatic coup for treatment access, eight Pharma firms have handed out $60 million in free drugs, price freezes and rebates for next year’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Now buying meds for 90,000 HIVers, ADAP has outpaced its budget for years; it faces a shortfall of roughly $215 mil in 2004. In February, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) launched the ADAP Crisis Task Force, which clinched deals with every antiretroviral maker within six months. Still, at last count, more than 500 Americans were on ADAP waiting lists, and 17 states had program restrictions. Want to motivate your employees in Congress but don’t know their names? Dial 1.888.VOTE.SMART or visit www.vote-smart.org/index.htm.