How is it Magic Johnson and many others have managed to live with the disease yet Freddie Mercury and others die rather quick from it? Why does the drugs not work for all?

HIV is controllable with medicine, good diet, and healthy life style. That famous US diver Greg Louganis is another example. He tested positive in 1988 but still alive and healthy. But I think most people can't afford expensive medicine they have to take daily.. So being healthy is an asset one should try to keep.

How is it Magic Johnson and many others have managed to live with the disease yet Freddie Mercury and others die rather quick from it? Why does the drugs not work for all?

Freddie Mercury died in 1991. Protease inhibitors became available a few years later: the first in 1995. It was the advent of this class of drug that made an impact on the mortality rate.

However, the drugs don't work for everyone, just mostly everyone as I understand it.

I think it's important that one keeps records of what he is taking (food and other medications) and side effects he is experiencing, and work with doctors to find a treatment that works. It's better to find a good doctor who has worked with a lot of HIV patients. I think word of mouth is important in this case. Actively participating in the care is important but a lot of people don't have enough time and money to do that. I think that is the problem. I think it will be nice a good HIV specialists are placed at local clinics and provide expert advice on the treatment.