Are US/UK Trying To Kill Assange?

Jailed Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange is reportedly "too ill" to even speak at a scheduled hearing today on a Swedish extradition request. He is said to be "gravely ill" and even near death. If Assange is worth more dead than alive to the governments he has embarrassed by publishing the truth about their crimes, are they trying to make his death happen? Or will he be slowly killed by a 170 year prison sentence?