Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994 09:26:22 -0400 (EDT) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" Subject: CDC AIDS DAILY SUMMARY 08/10/94 AIDS Daily Summary August 10, 1994 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "U.S. Official to Shift Funds Toward Basic AIDS Research" "Pushing for Tests of AIDS Vaccines" "Prostitute: Men Force Sex Minus Condoms" "Dentist Sues Woman for $10 Million in Libel Suit" "AIDS Drugs Not Getting to Women" "AIDS Gene Therapy Hits Virus, Helps Body" "US Activists Slam Clinton at AIDS Conference" "Conference to Focus on Asian Epidemic, Perinatal Infection" "AIDS Research Progress Stymied by Narrow Focus, Critics Charge" ************************************************************ "U.S. Official to Shift Funds Toward Basic AIDS Research" New York Times (08/10/94) P. A9; Pollack, Andrew Dr. William E. Paul, federal coordinator of AIDS research in the United States, announced at the 10th International Conference on AIDS that he would shave spending on clinical trials of potential new drugs and allocate more money for the "revitalization and expansion" of basic AIDS research. As efforts to develop new treatments and vaccines for the disease encounter one hurdle after another, scientists are forced to return to basic research in order to learn more about HIV and how it destroys the body's immune system, said researchers attending the conference. Paul said his goal is to boost by 20 percent the amount spent on basic research in response to grant proposals from scientists, instead of projects decided upon by the government. He said the government would, however, continue to support efforts to develop vaccines, but would concentrate on second-generation vaccines using new mechanisms. Related Story: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (08/10) P. A1 "Pushing for Tests of AIDS Vaccines" USA Today (08/10/94) P. 1D; Levy, Doug Scientists participating at the 10th International Conference on AIDS this week in Yokohama, Japan, are trying to convince American health authorities that candidate vaccines are ready for large-scale testing. Early studies indicate that at least two experimental vaccines--from Genentech Inc. in San Francisco, Calif., and Biocene Co. in Emeryville, Calif.,--show promise. But National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci contends that the time has not yet come for expanded human trials, saying they "may have little chance of working" and could impart a false sense of security upon volunteers. Only wider trials can provide the answers to crucial questions about whether or not a vaccine works, and why, argues Dani Bolognesi of Duke University. Related Story: Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (08/10) P. A1 "Prostitute: Men Force Sex Minus Condoms" United Press International (08/10/94) Commercial sex workers navigated the discussion on the fourth day of the 10th International Conference on AIDS, as they testified that they are regularly deprived of basic human rights. They said this treatment hampers global efforts to control the AIDS epidemic. The prostitutes also complained that at the previous AIDS conferences, they were treated as objects to be studied, but this year they felt compelled to speak out on their problems with AIDS. A common complaint from the group was that men who seek the services of prostitutes force them to have sex without the protection of condoms. "Dentist Sues Woman for $10 Million in Libel Suit" Richmond Times-Dispatch (08/09/94) P. B3 Dr. Gus Vlahos, a Virginia dentist, has filed a $10 million lawsuit against a woman who allegedly circulated fake documents asserting that Vlahos has AIDS and sometimes places his patients at risk for infection by failing to wear protective gloves. The suit charges Doris Sheppard of Dublin with two counts of libel and slander for allegedly making copies of the flier--which was printed on faked letterhead stationery from a local hospital--and distributing them at work. Records from Montgomery Regional Hospital fail to register Vlahos as ever being a patient there. Accompanying the lawsuit was an affidavit certifying that the dentist does not have AIDS or HIV. Vlahos is seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Related Story: USA Today (08/10) P. 6A "AIDS Drugs Not Getting to Women" Philadelphia Inquirer (08/09/94) P. A1; Collins, Huntly A large number of HIV-infected American women are not receiving the medication needed to slow disease progression or to fend off serious secondary infections. Many women may be suffering needlessly and dying earlier than they would if they were receiving treatment, according to Dr. Kenneth Mayer, who is spearheading an ongoing study of 800 HIV-positive American women. One-third of women who may have benefited from anti-HIV drugs like AZT have never taken them, and about 40 percent have never received antibiotics to ward off a pneumonia common among HIV/AIDS patients, he notes. Follow-up studies will try to determine why these women are not receiving the necessary care. Mayer says some women may have been offered--but declined--the medicines, and speculates that a more likely reason is that they don't have access to good health care and have never been offered the drugs. "AIDS Gene Therapy Hits Virus, Helps Body" United Press International (08/10/94); Kelly, Janis On Wednesday, Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal and Dr. Philip Greenburg presented research that could help in the fight against AIDS. Wong-Staal's research group has put genes into cells that destroy the RNA of the HIV virus, creating cells that can successfully fight the virus even after it has gotten in. Greenburg and his associates at the Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle are trying to fight AIDS by manipulating the genes in CD8 white blood cells so that they do not require the presence of CD4 cells, the cells destroyed by the virus, in order to multiply. Greenburg has also developed a method of growing large numbers of white blood cells that specifically kill the AIDS virus. "US Activists Slam Clinton at AIDS Conference" Reuters (08/08/94) Representatives of ACT UP/New York attending the 10th International Conference on AIDS on Monday issued an "AIDS report card," which they said President Clinton had flunked. The activists gave Clinton "F" grades for research, for failing to collaborate with other heads of state on a global response to the disease, and for not taking a stand against travel and immigration restrictions placed on infected persons. The president received a "D" for prevention, because of what ACT UP said was a failure to speak out on AIDS--resulting in innumerable new cases of HIV infection, especially among teens. "Conference to Focus on Asian Epidemic, Perinatal Infection" AIDS Alert (07/94) Vol. 9, No. 7, P. 100 When the 10th International Conference on AIDS convenes in Yokohoma, Japan, Aug. 7-12, participants will focus on the wildfire spread of HIV in Asia, new advances in perinatal transmission, vaccine trials, and a growing dearth of AIDS caregivers. Hosted by an Asian nation for the very first time, the conference is expected to attract 10,000 participants, and more than 4,000 abstracts from 120 countries, according to Dr. Naoko Yamamoto, chief executive of the conference. "AIDS Research Progress Stymied by Narrow Focus, Critics Charge" Scientist (07/11/94) Vol. 8, No. 14, P. 1; Hoke, Franklin Some scientists blame the narrow focus on fundamental HIV investigations by the NIH leadership, which controls most of the funding for AIDS projects, for what they say is sluggish progress in AIDS research. With the second decade of the epidemic underway, and no cure in sight, these researchers say it is time to broaden research activity beyond the HIV-specific studies that presently dominate. Other scientists, however, argue that HIV is still the most promising focus of AIDS research and that now is the time to provide extra resources in order to see these projects to fruition.