AIDS Advocates Stage ‘Day of the Dead’ Protest at Foster City-Based Biotech

AIDS advocates are holding a "Day of the Dead" mock funeral this morning to protest the pricing of HIV/AIDS medication by Foster City-based Gilead.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is organizing the protest, claims that Gilead's prescription drug Atripla is too expensive for many low-income and uninsured people with HIV/AIDS to afford.

Today's mock funeral procession, which was to consist of a four-car convoy, was scheduled to start in Oakland at 7:30 a.m., and "die-in" was planned outside Gilead's Foster City headquarters at 333 Lakeside Drive.

Participants planned to wear all black clothing and skeleton masks, and carry a small coffin.

AHF organized a "pill-bottle" protest at the same location in September, which also aimed to raise awareness about the pricing of AIDS/HIV pharmaceuticals.

A spokesperson at Gilead was not immediately available for comment this morning.

- Bay City News