Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes
-
TRUE-ISH Ron didn't ride bulls himself, but was a fan of the rodeo. His characterisation as a rodeo cowboy was a metaphor for his struggle with the disease. Ron did have a lot of girlfriends. Time Magazine Daily Mail
TRUE Rock Hudson was gay, kept that part of his life secret. Huffington Post
FALSE-ISH Although TJ wasn't a real person, he represented the vestiges of Ron's life - partying, homophobia etc. Ron was a big tequila fan, & loved the rodeo. Focus Features Dallas News
FALSE-ISH Although TJ wasn't a real person, he represented the vestiges of Ron's life - partying, homophobia etc. Focus Features
FALSE There is no mention of a Tucker, or person represented by Tucker, in the available documents.
His residences aren't public knowledge. Ron was a working class Texan, it's likely he lived in a trailer at some point, but his residence isn't in the available records.
TRUE Ron was seriously ill, weak, emaciated. Dallas News
Not public knowledge. Ron had a reputation for being wild, but it's unclear whether he sold cocaine.
TRUE Ron was a qualified electrician. Dallas News
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
TRUE Ron was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1986 & given a very short life span. Time Magazine The Telegraph Slate
FALSE-ISH Ron was in denial when he was diagnosed. Whether he was homophobic is contested, with some people insisting he was probably bisexual himself, & never behaved in a homophobic manner. Slate
Not public knowledge. This particular incident isn't recorded in the available records, but it's likely Ron's partying took a hit following his diagnosis.
Not public knowledge. We don't know the reality of his emotional state, his diaries aren't available publically.
TRUE Ron & other members continuously sourced the latest AIDS research, Ron used the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Library. Dallas News
TRUE AZT was pushed through to approval in record time. Instead of the standard 3 human trials, there was only 1, & that was stopped early when patients on the placebo were dying faster. The need for treatment was seen to outweigh the need for testing. Smithsonian
TRUE-ISH Eve was a fictional composite character, representing numerous doctors, patients & activists interviewed for the film. Many doctors at the time were indeed concerned about AZT, which was rushed to approval without full testing. Time Magazine Smithsonian
TRUE Ron used the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Library to research his disease. Dallas News
TRUE Ron believed he knew when he contracted HIV - from a woman who he thought was an intravenous drug user, with whom he engaged in some 'really raw stuff'. Slate
Not public knowledge. We don't know the reality of his emotional state, his diaries aren't available publically.
TRUE Ron was severely ill with AIDS at this stage. Dallas News
FALSE-ISH Eve was fictional, but Ron did have a single primary doctor that he would deal with throughout most of his battle, a Dr. Steven Pounders. Huffington Post
Not public knowledge. There is no janitor person mentioned in the available records.
TRUE-ISH Although there was no Eve, Ron did try to get on the AZT trial & was refused on the basis that his illness was too far gone. He sued the FDA over this. Time Magazine
TRUE-ISH Ron did lose his friends over his diagnosis. At the time AIDS was seen as a 'gay disease' - his homophobic friends kept their distance. Slate
TRUE-ISH Fear & ignorance surrounded AIDS during the period. People didn't know how it was transmitted. Ron's friends acted on their repulsion. Slate Focus Features
TRUE-ISH There are opposing views about whether Ron was homophobic or not, from people who knew him well. Slate
TRUE Ron's primary mission was to buy himself more time. Dallas News
FALSE-ISH Ron didn't get his AZT supply from a janitor. He participated in a successful drive to abolish the waiting list for AZT, & was supplied by his doctor. However, Ron did meet a doctor in a bar & bribe him with drinks & cash. Dallas News
FALSE Ron didn't get his AZT supply from a janitor. He participated in a successful drive to abolish the waiting list for AZT, & was supplied by his doctor. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Ron took AZT, & was known for being a party animal. Dallas News
TRUE Ron's friends & co-workers rejected him once word of his diagnosis got around. Slate
TRUE-ISH The janitor wasn't real, but Ron led a colourful life, was into rodeo, took AZT. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Ron woke up in hospital once after passing out in the garage of the Old Republic Bank building. He didn't have any dealings with a janitor, though. Dallas News Biography.com
FALSE Ron was given AZT legitimately. His doctor was Stephen Pounders, & there's no record of an attraction between them. Although, Ron did once send Pounders a dozen red roses to apologise for bringing guns into his office. Dallas News
FALSE Rayon is a fictional character, said to be a composite of various patients, activists & doctors that the writers interviewed for the film. She was put there to represent the LGBTQ community & reflect Ron's growing tolerance & acceptance. Time Magazine
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE-ISH Rayon is a fictional composite character, but Ron did want in on the AZT trial & was refused, for which he sued the FDA. Many patients in AZT trials did pool their medication, to raise the chances of everybody getting some of the real drug rather than the placebo. Time Magazine The Independent
TRUE After a while Ron refused to let the hospital treat him, he didn't trust most doctors. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH There isn't mention of this particular incident in the available records, but Ron's friends did turn on him after his diagnosis. Time Magazine
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
Not public knowledge. We don't much about Ron's emotional state, his journals haven't been made public.
TRUE-ISH Although we don't know if a janitor gave him the doctor's details, Ron did visit a doctor in Mexico, a Dr. Ponce de Leon. Dallas News
TRUE Ron travelled to Mexico to meet with an AIDS specialist named Dr. Ponce de Leon. Dallas News
TRUE Ron met with a doctor in Mexico. Ron had become extremely weak & emaciated. He turned to a healthy, nutrient-rich diet following his diagnosis. Washington Post
FALSE Rayon & Eve were both fictional composite characters. Time Magazine
TRUE Ron & Dr. Vass cut a deal & get the drugs onto the underground market in the US, & into legal pharmacies in Mexico. Ron's health had improved dramatically by this point. Dallas News
TRUE Ron would jam his rented Lincoln with 500,000 or more pills at a time to bring into the US. He would sit across from the Rio Grande checkpoint & make note of the guard routines. Dallas News
TRUE Ron dressed variously as a priest, a doctor, etc., when smuggling drugs. One guard took a long time to let him through. Dallas News
TRUE The law at the time was that Americans could import unapproved drugs for personal use, up to three months' worth at a time. Slate
Not public knowledge. It's unclear whether Ron had trouble shifting his gear when he started selling drugs, the available records don't mention this era.
TRUE The trials were rushed & approval was granted in record time. Patients on placebo seemed to be dying faster, & the need to treat people outweighed the need for testing. Many doctors were concerned by that. Smithsonian
TRUE Many doctors were concerned about the rushed approval of AZT, but others were all for it. Smithsonian
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
FALSE-ISH Rayon was a fictional composite character, but Ron did become part of the gay community, worked with gay rights groups. Slate
TRUE Ron researched his disease extensively. AIDS was a major crisis in the period. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Ron did set up an office to run his club from, but Rayon wasn't a real person. Dallas News
TRUE Ron set up a buyers club to exploit a legal loophole. It would technically mean that rather than selling drugs, he would be selling memberships, & giving the drugs away for free. Buyers Clubs
TRUE AZT was approved by the FDA on March 19th 1987, in record time. Smithsonian
TRUE-ISH Rayon wasn't a real person, but business was booming, & Ron's health improved. Dallas News
FALSE Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE Ron made arrangements to go to Japan for the drug interferon. Daily Mirror
TRUE-ISH Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE-ISH Rayon wasn't a real person, but Ron did move towards a nutrient-rich diet following his diagnosis. Washington Post
FALSE Rayon & TJ were not real people, but were representative of groups of others. Time Magazine Focus Features
TRUE Ron had over 4000 regular customers. Dallas News
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
TRUE-ISH Although there was no Rayon, Ron frequently went away on business trips & left his secretary, Mary Franklin, in charge. Time Magazine
TRUE Ron flew to Tokyo's Narita Airport, headed to Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories. Dallas News
TRUE Ron befriended a lab worker & bribed him to show him the lab's accounts. Dallas News
TRUE Ron identified a Japanese doctor who owed the lab money & paid him to order 36 vials of interferon. Dallas News
TRUE Ron frequently used disguises to get through customs. Dallas News
TRUE Ron made the trip several times, often getting stopped for questioning. After a while he figured out how to slip through unnoticed. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Ron once injected himself with a drug from China, that he thought had a 66% chance of killing him. He even wrote a note before doing so, to let people know it wasn't a suicide attempt. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH The FDA were aware of buyers clubs & looked the other way for a while, however, by 1991 they changed their approach & went after club directors, including Ron. Slate
TRUE-ISH There was no Rayon, but Ron did walk out of the hospital when he was treated without his consent. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Although Eve was a fictional character, many doctors did support the buyers clubs & recommended them to patients when conventional treatments could no longer help. Slate
TRUE The FDA confiscated Ron's supplies several times, & Ron fought to get them back. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Ron imported drugs from Denmark, Japan, Sweden & Mexico. Mirror Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Several doctors worked with the buyers clubs, as did the FDA, to an extent. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Although there wasn't a Dr. Sevard, many patients did switch from hospital-based treatment to buyers clubs. Slate
TRUE The club really did have lines of buyers waiting to buy whatever Ron was selling. Dallas News
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
TRUE Agencies frequently audited & inspected Ron's club. Dallas News
TRUE It was thought that the slow development of drugs to treat HIV/AIDS was a result of homophobic attitudes, tied in with the belief that HIV/AIDS was a 'gay disease'. There were protests, activism. Focus Features
TRUE Ron thought self-medication was the right thing for him, & was proud of his progress. Dallas News
FALSE Rayon wasn't a real person, there is no mention of a wildflower painting in the available records, & Ron didn't date his doctor. Time Magazine
FALSE There is no mention of a wildflower painting in the available records, & Eve wasn't a real person. Time Magazine
FALSE Eve wasn't a real person, nor was Dr. Sevard. Time Magazine
Not public knowledge. Eve wasn't a real person, although Ron was quite close to his long-term doctor. We don't know much about his mother, Billie Hughes Woodroof.
Ron's sexuality/homophobia is contested. Ron's sexuality has been contested by those who knew him. Slate
FALSE Eve wasn't a real person, & no painting appears in the available records. Time Magazine
TRUE Ron's office was raided by the FDA on a regular basis. Daily Mirror
TRUE Ron attempted to file several restraining orders against the various agencies that went after him. Focus Features
TRUE The FDA did crack down on the buyers clubs, after some years of leniency & even cooperation. Dallas News
TRUE Ron had a string of contacts in the medical world, which he worked to get supplies of the drugs he needed. NPR
FALSE-ISH While there was no Rayon, there certainly were financial struggles for those living with HIV/AIDS. Ron cashed in on his life insurance policy to keep the club going. Dallas News
FALSE There is no mention of a Tucker, or person represented by Tucker, in the available documents.
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
FALSE-ISH Rayon was a fictional composite character. It's possible they recruited new members from support groups. Time Magazine
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE Business became difficult for Ron following the FDA crackdown. Dallas News
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE Business became difficult for Ron following the FDA crackdown. Dallas News
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
FALSE-ISH Although there wasn't a Rayon, cashing in life insurance policies was common among AIDS patients, who couldn't get bank loans to fund their treatment. Ron cashed his in to keep the club going. Dallas News
FALSE Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
TRUE Ron travelled to Mexico to meet with an AIDS specialist named Dr. Ponce de Leon. Dallas News
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
Not public knowledge. This incident wasn't recorded in the available records.
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
FALSE-ISH We don't know if he stole prescription pads, but he did fly around the world trying all kinds of underhand methods to get what he needed. Dallas News
TRUE-ISH Ron was frequently stopped at customs & questioned. Whether or not the Dallas Cowboys bit is true is unknown. NPR
FALSE Rayon was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
FALSE-ISH Although this specific event wasn't recorded in the available records, Ron was a firey guy with a lot of anger. NPR
FALSE-ISH Although this specific event didn't happen, Ron did equate administering AZT with murder & maintained a raging campaign against it. Time Magazine
Not public knowledge. Little is known about Ron's emotional state, his personal diaries haven't been made public.
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
TRUE Ron had over 4000 regular customers. Dallas News
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
TRUE-ISH There was no Eve, but a study published in the Lancet in 1988 appeared to show that AZT was not effective long-term, & seemed to have dangerous side-effects. Ron did read the medical journals. Slate
FALSE There was no Eve, & it's unclear if the wildflower painting existed, no mention of it in the available records.
TRUE Doctors at the time responded to the crisis by guessing at the AZT dose needed to be effective, & guessing high. Some doctors started lowering the dos, & it was found that halving the dose had the same effect. Washington Post
TRUE Ron embarked on a campaign against AZT. He took every legal route available to him to keep the buyers club going & ensure his own access to the drugs he thought he needed. NPR
FALSE Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE The Dallas Buyers Club was a constant source of difficulty for the FDA. In once instance, the FDA put out a call for buyers clubs to suspend use of a drug that the FDA had found to be dangerous. All but Ron's club complied. Ron didn't trust anybody. Washington Post
FALSE Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
FALSE-ISH Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
FALSE Eve was a fictional composite character. Time Magazine
TRUE Ron reported worsening symptoms when he was unable to take Peptide T due to FDA restrictions. Dallas News
Not public knowledge. This incident isn't in the available records.
FALSE There is no mention of a Tucker, or person represented by Tucker, in the available documents.
TRUE Ron took the FDA to court to sue for his right to obtain Peptide T. NPR
TRUE Ron went to court to argue for his right obtain Peptide T. The judge was compassionate but ruled against him because the law had no authority there. Dallas News
FALSE Eve was a fictional composite character Time Magazine
TRUE The agencies Ron fought against were ultimately more powerful than him. Dallas News
TRUE Ron was something of a folk hero. Biography.com
TRUE Ron struck a deal with the FDA to get Peptide T for his own personal use & supply them with his data. Dallas News
FALSE Ron didn't ride bulls, but was into the rodeo. His riding the bull, & staying on, was a metaphor for his continued battle to extend his life. Time Magazine
TRUE Ron died of an AIDS-related illness in September 1992. Slate
TRUE AZT is used today in combination with other drugs. It is rarely prescribed on its own. Catie Focus Features
-
Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes