Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 09:44:51 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 06/13/95 AIDS Daily Summary June 13, 1995 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "U.S. Court Seeks Advice on Aids Drug Patents" "Arthur Kropp, 37; Headed a Civil Liberties Group" "Group to Hold Workshop on AIDS Clinical Trials" "AIDS Quilt to Be Photographed for CD-ROMS" "RiboGene's PCP Drug Approaches Clinical Trials" "Panel Offers Radical Therapy for National Cancer Institute" "New AIDS Estimates Show Demographic Changes" "Why Not a Cure?" "Caveat Emptor" ************************************************************ "U.S. Court Seeks Advice on Aids Drug Patents" Financial Times (06/13/95) P. 20; Green, Daniel The U.S. Supreme Court has requested advice from the Department of Justice about patents protecting Glaxo Wellcome's AIDS drug AZT. Although it is not unusual for the supreme court to ask for government help on a private-sector dispute, it does suggest that the court sees persuasive arguments on both sides of the case. Two generic drug makers, Barr Laboratories and Novapharm, claim that because scientists from the National Institutes of Health developed AZT, the Burroughs Wellcome patents are invalid. Glaxo, which recently purchased Wellcome and its subsidiary Burroughs Wellcome, argues that Burroughs Wellcome researchers invented the drug after much research. The patents, which do not expire for another 10 years, have already been upheld by a federal court and the U.S. Court of Appeals. "Arthur Kropp, 37; Headed a Civil Liberties Group" New York Times (06/13/95) P. B7; Van Gelder, Lawrence On June 12, Arthur J. Kropp of the civil liberties organization People for the American Way, died of AIDS at age 37. As president of the 300,000-member group, Kropp led the battles against the nomination of Judge Robert K. Bork to the Supreme Court and a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit flag burning, and in favor of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. He also led his organization's campaigns on behalf of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Kropp is survived by his companion, Chris Bobowski; a sister; three brothers; and his maternal grandmother. Related Story: Washington Post (06/13) P. B6 "Group to Hold Workshop on AIDS Clinical Trials" Philadelphia Inquirer (06/13/95) P. B2 On Saturday, Philadelphia Fight will hold a free workshop to answer questions about participation in AIDS clinical trials. Members of the National Latino/Latina Lesbian and Gay Organization and the Critical Path AIDS Project will be in attendance. The discussion--to be held at St. Luke and the Epiphany Church--will highlight issues such as who is eligible for the trials, how they work, and what the ethics of participating are. "AIDS Quilt to Be Photographed for CD-ROMS" Reuters (06/12/95) Officials of the "Names Project Foundation" have announced that the quilt memorializing people who have died from AIDS will be preserved on CD-ROM discs in a project expected to take three years. The quilt, which was conceived by AIDS activist Cleve Jones a decade ago and is now considered the world's largest piece of folk art, currently weighs 36 tons and spans 13 acres. Besides Americans, the 31,000-panel quilt also tells the stories of people from 39 other countries. Anthony Turney, executive director of the foundation, said the project is being sponsored by corporations and being undertaken by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Luna Imaging Inc. of Venice, Calif., with the film being provided by Eastman Kodak Co. The images and stories behind the quilt will be stored on CD-ROMs for use by libraries, schools, and others. "RiboGene's PCP Drug Approaches Clinical Trials" Business Wire (06/12/95) On Monday, RiboGene, Inc. announced that it will proceed with human clinical trials of RG-201, the company's leading anti-fungal compound for the treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. PCP is one of the most common opportunistic infections to affect AIDS patients. The drug is the company's first clinical trial candidate under its partnership with the University of North Carolina (UNC), Pharmo-Eco Laboratories, and Dr. Richard Tidwell of UNC, who is a consultant to RiboGene. "Panel Offers Radical Therapy for National Cancer Institute" Science (05/26/95) Vol. 268, No. 5214, P. 1121; Marshall, Eliot A recent review of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) calls for significant changes in NCI intramural funding, structure, and management. The critique--delivered by Michael Bishop and Paul Calabresi, co-chairs of a panel of independent researchers--includes a proposal that NCI "wean" itself from AIDS research. About 35 percent of NCI's intramural projects are considered AIDS research. However, National Institutes of Health (NIH) head Harold Varmus says they only fit the category by "some stretch of the imagination." Bishop says that a "liberal definition" of AIDS permitted the development of the trend, and warns that NCI is dependent on AIDS funding that may be uncertain if the label is made more precise. Bishop also notes that this trend may have "distracted" the institute from its principal goal of cancer research. The review urges NCI to conduct a "comprehensive review" of all AIDS research, noting that a "significant reduction may be in order." Overall, NIH officials have welcomed the report. Varmus has said he will help the incoming NCI chief to follow through on all the report's proposals. "New AIDS Estimates Show Demographic Changes" AIDS Alert (06/95) Vol. 10, No. 6, P. 83 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the AIDS epidemic's rate of increase in the United States has slowed to about 3 percent per year. The most recent figures, reported through 1994, put the total number of reported AIDS cases in the country at 441,528. More than 270,000 individuals have died from the disease. However, the new AIDS definition, which added severe immunosuppression as an AIDS-defining illness, has distorted surveillance patterns. Now, six out of 10 AIDS cases are reported using the CD4 criterion instead of the pre-1993 definitions. From 1992 to 1993, the trends show that the epidemic has increased in the East and South, diminished in the West, and remained steady in the Midwest. The South led the four regions with an estimated 21,000 incidences of opportunistic infection in 1993. The CDC's John Ward explains that the South's growth reflects the region's high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, increased use of injection drugs and crack cocaine, and large minority population. Overall, Ward says that recent data have shown a continued increase in AIDS among injection drug users and heterosexuals. "Why Not a Cure?" POZ (04/95-05/95) No. 7, P. 38; Milano, Mark The AIDS Cure Project, introduced into Congress as HR 761, is a blueprint for what the United States could do if it wanted a cure for AIDS as much as President Kennedy wanted a man on the moon, writes ACT UP New York's Mark Milano in POZ magazine. The project would aggressively pursue basic research and study both traditional and alternative approaches to a solution. Under the plan, Project researchers would have to suspend all financial conflicts of interest with drug companies, and the Project would have the power of "eminent domain" to guarantee that no treatment is put aside because of corporate agendas. Although some say that the proposal is foolish in light of the new Congress, ACT UP disagrees. We cannot accept years of continued death simply because the "experts" tell us to accept a hopeless reality, writes Milano. Our "tantrums" have enabled us to influence bureaucracies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Milano concludes that people who read the Project's prospectus will find a sober detailing of NIH's problems and a map of a project that would do the necessary research to help find a cure for this disease. "Caveat Emptor" Advocate (06/13/95) No. 683, P. 33; Bain, Christian Arthur According to New York City public advocate Mark Green, author of "The Consumer Bible: 1001 Ways to Shop Smart," some of the most vile consumer scams involve merchants who prey upon the fear and ignorance surrounding AIDS. "These were personally some of the most haunting problems I've come across," he says. In his book, Green describes funeral homes that charge an extra fee for handling people who have died from AIDS--supposedly for disinfecting the bodies of HIV. Such procedures, however, are not necessary, says the AIDS advocacy group Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Some firms charge as much as 300 percent more for cremating a person who has died of AIDS, reports Stephanie Evans, director of health care advocacy at GMHC. She recommends calling various funeral homes for price quotes and asking the Better Business Bureau or the Funeral Home Trade Association about any suspicious charges.