Fire In the Blood

A shocking exposé of how pharmaceutical companies use patent law to keep profits unconscionably high even at the expense of peoples’ lives, and a plea for universal access to affordable, life-saving generic medicines. An intricate tale of “medicine, monopoly and malice”, FIRE IN THE BLOOD tells the story of how Western pharmaceutical companies and governments aggressively blocked access to affordable AIDS drugs for the countries of Africa and the global south in the years after 1996 – causing ten million or more unnecessary deaths. It is also the inspiring story of the improbable group of people who decided to fight back. Shot on four continents and including contributions from global figures such as President Bill Clinton, Bishop Desmond Tutu and economist Joseph Stiglitz, FIRE IN THE BLOOD is the never-before-told true story of the remarkable coalition which came together to stop ‘the Corporate Crime of the Century’ and save millions of lives.

Co-presented with the Frannie Peabody Center

Followed by talk and Q&A with Jean Michel Kayumba:  Dr. Kayumba graduated from the University of Kinshasa ( D.R. Congo) School of Medicine in 1999 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine. In 2000 he moved to South Africa, where he was enrolled in a residency program of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Academic Hospital of Baragwanath  of the University of Wits Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2004, Dr. Kayumba moved into internal medicine, with special interest in Infectious Diseases  with main focus on the clinical management of HIV/AIDS and TUBERCULOSIS.

From 2006-2009 he was a principal medical officer at the Sizwe Tropical Diseases hospital, where he obtained a diploma in Tropical Diseases & Hygiene. From 2009-2012, he took an appointment to be the Internal Medicine Head of Department of the Polosong Hospital in Johannesburg South Africa. Dr. Kayumba moved to the US in March of 2013 and was involved in advocacy activities for refugees and immigrants in Maine.