The drug Reyataz is one of the most common medications prescribed to treat AIDS.
For Nicholas Schiesler, it's like a miracle drug.
"It's almost like a sugar pill," Schiesler said. "I don't know that I'm taking it. It doesn't cause any secondary problems."
Reyataz is taken with several other medications, but the anti-retroviral drug sells wholesale for about $13,000 per year on its own.
The high cost of the drug is a particular problem for people like Clint Waggoner who pay for their drugs using private insurance.
"It would save me about 45 to 50 dollars a year and that's a lot of money for me, foodwise," Waggoner said.
At the Desert AIDS Project, thirty percent of their medication budget is used paying for Reyataz. That's why they have joined the State of California in pressuring the drug's maker - Bristol-Myers Squib - to reduce the costs.
"Because of the economy and the state budget crisis, it is harder and harder to respond to the needs of this population, said David Brinkman, CEO of the Desert AIDS project."
Since the State of California is a huge buyer, and investor in Bristol-Myers Squibb, Brinkman is confident they will have some leverage.
"Many of the other pharmaceutical companies with AIDs medications have lowered their fees," Brinkman said.
For many, it's the difference between being healthy and living with HIV and not.
