Big Drug Companies' Stranglehold on the Market
The main theme of the movie is the stranglehold that big drug companies have on both the drug market, and also to a certain extent on the FDA as well. After his HIV diagnosis, Ron realizes that there are few drug options that have been approved that might treat his disease and so turns to less orthodox medical practitioners, particularly Dr Vaas, whose license has been revoked, but who is nonetheless finding treatments that substantially improve the health and the quality of life of those infected with the HIV virus. The FDA go to great lengths to prevent these treatments being developed and brought to America. Their reasoning for this would be that Vaas is a "quack" and that the treatments have not been tested or approved and so they are prioritizing the health of Americans who are HIV positive; however, a more cynical, and quite likely more realistic, way of looking at their stance would be that none of the major drug companies have a stake in the medications that Ron is bringing back to his fellow patients, and are therefore not only not benefiting from them financially, but are not benefiting in terms of development grants either. Their influence on the FDA is obvious, and this influence is the main theme of the film. Ron is bringing in drugs that clearly help people, but because of the stranglehold the drug companies have over the legislature, he is not able to do this without getting into a great deal of trouble.
Early Days of the AIDS Virus
The mid-eighties saw an explosion in the number of AIDS cases across the world, and also an explosion in its perception as a "gay" disease. Before his diagnosis, Ron was like much of the population who believed the disease was largely irrelevant to him and gave it little to no thought, because it was something that only a segment of the population contracted, and he was not the demographic that made up that segment. Ron's story shows that shift in perception as it became clear that this was not just a disease that affected the homosexual population. The film also shows the stigma that went along with both homosexuality and with having the HIV virus, especially in a rugged and down-to-earth environment like the one Ron came from and lived in.
Maverick Spirit
Ron has a maverick spirit, and will not be told how he is going to deal with, treat or manage his disease. He is the kind of person who will go off on his own and find a cure or a solution to something and is tough, determined and not afraid to swim against the tide. This spirit is one of the themes of the film because if not for his lone wolf mentality Ron might never have pursued the more unorthodox treatments at all.
Medical Ethics
One of the lesser themes of the film is the dilemma between what is the legal thing to do and what is the right thing to do and the way in which these two seemingly almost identical things diverge greatly when it comes to the medical profession. Dr Vaas has had his medical license revoked and is therefore legally not allowed to work as a doctor; however, he is also in possession of a treatment for the HIV virus that actually seems to have benefits and may work in slowing the progression of the disease. Whilst it is illegal for him to prescribe this, it is also unethical to withhold something that can help people and perhaps also begin to prolong and save lives. This ethical dilemma is thematic throughout the movie.
