Here in New York, activists with the group ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, confronted the basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson last night over his endorsement of the pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories. Earlier this year, the company announced it would withhold seven new drugs from sale in Thailand, including a new AIDS drug and treatments for arthritis and high blood pressure. The unprecedented move was called a retaliation to Thailand’s plan to importing or producing cheaper, generic copies of Abbott’s AIDS drug Kaletra. According to an ACT UP press release, activists confronted Johnson with banners reading “Abbott’s Greed Kills People with AIDS in Thailand.” ACT UP says Johnson voiced support for their demands and said he was raising the issue with Abbott executives.