Twenty years of information,
advocacy and inspiration—1991

Project Inform achievements (1985–2004)     View PDF

Project Inform milestones:

• Project Inform volunteers created the Treatment Action Network (TAN), a grassroots organizing tool for activating nationwide political action on AIDS. TAN remains the largest national grassroots network of individuals advocating on federal and state legislative activity concerning HIV/AIDS research, treatment and healthcare issues.
• Led the creation of a consensus demand for the release of ddI and ddC.
• Launched Project Immune Restoration to continue the work of the immune restoration meetings originally hosted by the Institute of Medicine.
• Worked closely with FDA Commissioner David Kessler to create the Accelerated Approval process for drugs for life-threatening illnesses; assisted in drafting these regulations.
• Initiated a new phase of stronger and wider advocacy work nationwide.

Epidemic milestones:

• NBA legend Magic Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive and retires from basketball.
• 7th International AIDS Conference ("Science Challenging AIDS") is held in Florence, Italy.
• Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) Act of 1991 enacted by the U.S. Congress, to provide housing assistance to people living with AIDS through grants to U.S. states and local communities.
• CDC recommends restrictions on the practice of HIV-positive health care workers and Congress enacts law requiring states to take similar action.
• Red ribbon introduced as the international symbol of AIDS awareness at the Tony Awards by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Visual AIDS.
• Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock band Queen, dies of AIDS.
• Ricky Ray dies of AIDS.
• Bristol-Myers receives FDA approval to market didanosine (ddI/Videx) to those who cannot tolerate AZT or who no longer derive benefit from it.