Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 10:16:58 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary May 1, 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 ************************************************************ "AIDS Study: No Infection from Health Workers to Patients" "The Doctor's Next Appointment" "Genentech Agrees to Extend Roche's Buyout Option for Four Years" "Agouron Reports Encouraging Preliminary Results from Pilot Phase II Study of Anti-HIV Drug AG1343" "Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Chiron Corp., Viagene Inc. Merger" "Cytokines Move from the Margins Into the Spotlight" "Gay Medical Group Pushes for Better AIDS Education" "Shame, Gay Men, and HIV Disease" "How Reliable Are Condoms?" "Bonfire of the Charities" ************************************************************ "AIDS Study: No Infection from Health Workers to Patients" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/01/95) P. A3; Hostetler, A.J. There is no evidence that HIV has been passed from healthcare workers to patients, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the May 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Americans have been concerned about the risk of infection since the CDC concluded in 1992 that Florida dentist David Acer transmitted HIV to six of his patients. In the largest study of its kind, the CDC studied HIV infection in more than 22,000 patients of 64 physicians, dentists, and other HIV- infected healthcare workers. Of the patients infected with HIV, epidemiological and genetic evidence showed that all 113 infections came from sources other than the healthcare worker. Related Stories: Washington Times (05/01) P. A5; USA Today (05/01) P. 4D "The Doctor's Next Appointment" Washington Post (05/01/95) P. D1; Blumenfeld, Laura Senate confirmation hearings begin on Tuesday for surgeon general nominee Dr. Henry W. Foster. A key concern of his opponents is the 39 abortions he has performed during his 38 years of medical practice. As the highest doctor in the United States, Foster says he would rather serve as an educator rather than an administrator. In that role, he hopes to focus on teenage smoking, AIDS education, and cancer awareness. Above all, however, Foster wants to reduce teen pregnancy, duplicating the "I Have a Future" program that he operates in Tennessee. According to Foster, the program's philosophy is "yes to the future, no to sex." "Genentech Agrees to Extend Roche's Buyout Option for Four Years" Business Wire (05/01/95) California-based Genentech, Inc. and Roche Holding, Ltd. of Switzerland have agreed to extend for four years Roche's option to buy outstanding redeemable common stock of the company at a predetermined price that increases up to $82 per share each quarter. Under the agreement, if Roche does not consummate purchase by June 30, 1999, Genentech stockholders will be able to exercise a "put" on some or all of their shares at the stockholder's discretion at $60 a share. Some of Genentech's key products in development include treatments for AIDS, diabetes, and heart disease. "Agouron Reports Encouraging Preliminary Results from Pilot Phase II Study of Anti-HIV Drug AG1343" PR Newswire (04/28/95) At a meeting of the International Society of Antiviral Research in Santa Fe, N.M., Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported encouraging preliminary results of the pilot Phase II clinical study of its anti-HIV drug AG1343. The objectives of the study are to confirm in HIV-infected subjects the favorable pharmokinetic profile of oral AG1343, and to determine the acute anti-HIV activity and safety of the drug administered for four weeks at various dose levels. Thus far, the highest level of anti-HIV activity, found in the first patient to enter and complete the study, was a reduction of HIV present in blood of greater than 99 percent and a 116 cell increase in CD4 T cells. "Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Chiron Corp., Viagene Inc. Merger" Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (04/28/95); Guth, Lesley Biotechnology industry analysts and officials at Chiron Corp. and Viagene Inc. are playing down a shareholder lawsuit that is trying to keep the two companies from merging. Because such mergers and lawsuits are common, "once the merger is announced, you can set your watch and one or two days later someone will file a lawsuit," said Joyce Lonergan, biotechnology analyst at Cowen & Co. Chiron is the world's second largest biotechnology company and currently owns 17 percent of Viagene's stock. Viagene is a specialist in gene therapy and is a leader in efforts to develop drugs to treat diseases, including HIV. The merger would give Viagene shareholders the option to accept $9 in cash or 0.155 of a Chiron share for each Viagene share. In the suit, the shareholders claim that the compensation is inadequate and that the defendants breached their duties to shareholders. "Cytokines Move from the Margins Into the Spotlight" Science (04/14/95) Vol. 268, No. 5208, P. 205; Balter, Michael The First International Symposium on HIV and Cytokines met in Reims, France, to review the role that cytokines--proteins that act as messengers between cells of the immune system--play in AIDS. A study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases revealed that in some AIDS patients, intermittent administration of a specific cytokine, interleukin-2, increases the number of CD4 or T-helper cells, the key immune cells that are destroyed as the disease progresses. These findings reflect a notable change among AIDS researchers that occurred with the hypothesis by Mario Clerici and Gene Shearer of the National Cancer Institute that suggested that a shift in the cytokine patterns could possibly explain why HIV-infected people succumb to AIDS. At the Reims meeting, Jean- Claude Ameisen of the Pasteur Institute presented data implicating the cytokine imbalance as the major reason for the death of T-helper cells, which can only be prevented by the infusion of antibodies that block the Th2 cytokines IL-10 and IL-4, or by interleukin-12. Furthermore, with attention focused on other kinds of cells and the interactions they have with cytokines, Stella Knight of St. Mary's Hospital Medical School reported that two cytokines, which induce dendritic cells to mature, also cause high levels of infection of dendritic cells in vitro. Despite these discouraging studies, Jay Levy of the University of California at San Francisco found that the CAF, a cytokine-like substance released by CD8 cells, inhibits the transcription of the viral DNA, which may explain why people remain asymptomatic for years. "Gay Medical Group Pushes for Better AIDS Education" American Medical News (04/24/95) Vol. 38, No. 16, P. 10 Unless significant changes are made, the majority of gay and bisexual men in the United States could become infected with HIV, warns a recent report by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. "What we're seeing is an infection rate for gay and bisexual men under 30 of 3 percent per year," said Benjamin Schatz, the association's executive director. According to the report, education campaigns do not address what it means to be a sexual being in the midst of an epidemic. Education efforts are also hampered by federal statutes that bar the "promotion of homosexuality," said Schatz. In addition, the medical group said that education efforts are not being directed at some of the people most at risk. For example, although gay men constitute the largest HIV-infected population in the country, less than 5 percent of national education funding is geared toward them. "Shame, Gay Men, and HIV Disease" Focus (04/95) Vol. 10, No. 5, P. 1; Sabar, Stephanie There are several triggers of shame for HIV-infected gay men. Even without the disease, gay men experience heterosexism, homophobia, and religious condemnation. Some men feel ashamed because they were aware of safer sex when they contracted HIV. Others feel judged about how they acquired the virus. "Coming out" as HIV-positive may lead to rejection by co-workers, relatives, lovers, and friends, and is particularly shame-inducing when the relationship prior to disclosure was good. Infection with HIV can undermine one's ability to live up to social values for American men, including independence, power, financial success, and emotional control--and can therefore lead to shame. Shame's effects may lead to withdrawal, substance abuse, depression, and denial. Therapists can play an important role by helping HIV-infected gay men feel pride in who they are and in how they deal with the indignities of the disease. A therapist should guide clients to an awareness of their own needs and feelings, and should help them trust the validity of their perceptions of such needs and feelings. This strategy will help clients feel entitled to be who they are without having to take care of others at the expense of their own identities. "How Reliable Are Condoms?" Consumer Reports (05/95) Vol. 60, No. 5, P. 320 In the United States, more than 1 million people are infected with HIV, and the number rises by one every 13 minutes. The fear of AIDS has pushed sales of condoms--which are now routinely advertised on cable television and in magazines, and are sold in supermarkets--to 450 million a year. To determine the reliability of condoms, Consumer Reports bought and tested 37 kinds, or 6500 latex condoms. One surprising find was that several types of Trojans--the best-selling brand--often flunked an air-inflation test, which checks a condom's elasticity. Many condoms promoted as "stronger" were not as strong as others in the inflation tests. And many condoms promoted as "thin" are not particularly so. Although the thinnest condoms passed the basic inflation test, they tended to break more easily, and may not provide as much protection as other condoms. In terms of air-burst performance, the top three condoms were the Sheik Excita Extra Ribbed with spermicide, the Ramses Extra Ribbed with spermicide, and the Sheik Classic. Protex's Touch condom was rated a Best Buy. "Bonfire of the Charities" Advocate (05/02/95) No. 680, P. 27; Bull, Chris The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) announced on March 22 that it would reduce its annual budget by 20 percent, conceding that opulent fundraisers are no longer as successful as they once were. Craig Miller--organizer of annual AIDS walks in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles--explained, "AIDS fundraising is getting more difficult with each passing year." He called on AIDS groups not to abandon high-profile fundraising events, but to diversify their efforts. AmFAR said the latest cuts will scale back grants for AIDS research. The group suffered from the collapse of several spring fundraisers and a disappointing return on its Combined Federal Campaign. AmFAR President Mervyn F. Silverman said, "There is a growing national apathy and complacency about AIDS." AmFAR's troubles began when Elizabeth Taylor found the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and stopped raising money exclusively for AmFAR. Silverman hopes the group will recover when the public realizes the impact of government cutbacks on AIDS funding.