The Buyers

In the movie Dallas Buyers Club, Ron Woodruff is told he has AIDS. This is odd for him considering he was heterosexual, but his family and friends do not believe him. They cut him off and he gets fired from his job. He realizes it’s because of sexual relations with a prostitiute. When he finds out that he has AIDS, he embarks on a long journey to find what is promised to extend his life. This treatment is not legalized or embraced by the FDA. This makes Woodruff realize how much money he could be making while helping AIDS patients. With this AZT, woodruff’s health starts declining and he meets a potential business partner. Once he realizes the effect this drug has he breaks its compounds down to get it across the mexico border into america. This is then where he sells it outside of gay nightclubs. This is much to the FDA’s dismay since these had not been approved to be consumed let alone distributed at such large quantities. With it being the 80’s, AIDS was still very stigmatized and hushed. This movie was very entrepreneurial because Woodruff found a potential market in selling AZT to AIDS patients in America imported from Mexico. This is especially interesting considering the way people regarded AIDS during this time and how he had gotten AIDS. With controversy from everyone, Woodruff still continued to distribute and sell AZT to help patients. As the movie continued he started to get a better understanding and relationship with the types of patients he was helping, rather than just viewing them as a way to earn money. It is very interesting how they founded the Dallas Buyers Club as a membership service, at $400 a month. With this membership service, it was necessarily a commitment for patients. This was considerate when taking into consideration that AZT would not cure AIDS, just prolong the time patients had left. When in Mexico, Woodruff realizes just how much the United States is against this when he meets a doctor that has their license revoked for AIDS related research that had been done. With all this in mind, Woodruff was set in a very interesting market. One that couldn’t guarantee any long term outcome, just a short term solution. Since the drugs were illegal in the United States, Woodruff told those concerned at the border that the products were going to be used in religious practices. This is so he could safely avoid anyone stopping the importation and use. When he finally starts marketing AZT, his health starts declining more, putting once the short term effects into perspective. With all the stigmatization towards AIDS, him telling his story and helping others made him realize how diverse the disease was and that really anyone could get it. When the FDA finally gets the greenlight to raid Woodruff they ultimately can not do anything but fine him. This is interesting because his only ‘competition’ was the FDA and they raided him for having AZT.