Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 10:01:14 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 08/27/96 AIDS Daily Summary August 27, 1996 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 National AIDS Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ****************************************************** "Serono Wins Approval for AIDS Drug" "HIV Often Overlooked in Spite of Screening" "Venture-Backed Firms Defy Market With IPOs" "Law Will Free the Sick From Insurance Trap" "U.N. Targets Child Pornography" "Medical Records: Privacy Ensured" "Female Condom Back in Spotlight" "UPI Science News: Slowing AIDS in Haiti" "Neurological Complications of HIV Infection" "Taking a Hit" ****************************************************** "Serono Wins Approval for AIDS Drug" Wall Street Journal (08/27/96) P. B4; Johannes, Laura The Food and Drug Administration gave accelerated approval to Serostim, a drug made by Serono to treat AIDS-related wasting, following the company's meeting with AIDS activists. Members of ACT-UP Golden Gate, a San Francisco group, urged the approval after Serono agreed to sell the drug at half the current market price of other growth hormone drugs. A spokeswoman for Serono said the approval "would have been difficult" without the support of the activist group. Under the company's original plan, the drug would have cost about $75,000 a year, but now the drug price has been capped at $36,000 a year per person. "HIV Often Overlooked in Spite of Screening" Washington Post--Health (08/27/96) P. 5; Murphy, Caryle Individuals infected with HIV may not be identified, even when they are regularly screened for the virus, researchers at the University of Washington report. Timothy Schacker and colleagues also found that unprotected oral-genital contact can transmit HIV and that it takes about two weeks for symptoms of HIV infection to appear. In the Aug. 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers say that "primary HIV infection causes a recognizable clinical syndrome that is often underdiagnosed" or "misdiagnosed." The study group included 46 patients who had either recently tested positive for HIV antigens or antibodies to HIV. Only 25 percent of the group had been correctly diagnosed at the outset of symptoms. "Venture-Backed Firms Defy Market With IPOs" Wall Street Journal (08/27/96) P. B2; Selz, Michael In the face of widespread investor nervousness, 18 new venture-backed companies went public last month, raising a total of $638 million, according to the Venture Capital Journal. Some companies, such as Caltype Biomedical--which is developing a urine test for the HIV--said that although they had to lower their initial public offering (IPO) price, they were forced to tap the market to raise much-needed capital. First Enterprise Financial Group reports that it also had to lower its IPO price, but that the shares were met with an overall positive welcome. The issue "was stressful," says Michael Harrington, founder and chairman of First Enterprise. "But I'm delighted with the reception we got in spite of running against a very adverse stock market." "Law Will Free the Sick From Insurance Trap" Washington Times (08/27/96) P. B9; Gallagher, Jim Under the new health insurance reform bill taking effect next July, workers who get sick will be able to switch jobs without losing coverage for an existing illness. If a worker is fired, however, he can still be denied coverage. When a worker is laid off, he is allowed to keep his health insurance group rates for 18 months, and a worker's dependents can keep the group policy for three years if they lose coverage because the employee died, divorced, or enrolled in Medicare. A person with an existing illness is guaranteed coverage, but there is no control on price. "U.N. Targets Child Pornography" Washington Times (08/27/96) P. A15; Pisik, Betsy The U.N. Children's Fund reports today that more than 1 million children around the world are forced into prostitution or pornography each year. A four-day conference with representatives from more than 120 countries is opening today in Stockholm to examine the problem. The exploitation of young girls is worst in cultures where females have lower social status and less education than males. Daughters, and sometimes sons, are sold into slavery to help poor families survive. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are frequently subjected to rape and incest, and the spread of HIV is expected to increase the number of orphans on the continent. "Medical Records: Privacy Ensured" Washington Post (08/27/96) P. A10; Clarke, Richard L. Personal medical information will be protected and health care information will be more standardized under the health insurance reform bill, claims Richard L. Clarke, president and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, in a letter to the editor of the Washington Post. Clarke takes issue with a Post article that suggested the bill did not offer adequate protection for patients' private records. He points out that a section of the bill applies federal penalties for the "wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information" and implements new national security standards to ensure medical privacy. Clarke also notes that the current system for exchanging health care information will be standardized to simplify the process. "Female Condom Back in Spotlight" Knight-Ridder (08/27/96); Hutchcraft, Chuck The female condom, manufactured by Female Health, a small Chicago company, is attracting much attention, in part because of studies that found the product filled the need for HIV prevention methods that women can control. The condom is effective against sexually transmitted diseases and is gaining acceptance among women. Female Health initially struggled to market the condom, finding that women were not comfortable using the product. Now, thanks to a new advertising campaign targeting younger customers, the company expects to break even by the end of fiscal year 1997. "UPI Science News: Slowing AIDS in Haiti" United Press International (08/27/96) A program in Haiti which combined counseling and free condoms for couples which include one partner who is infected with HIV was found to be helpful in slowing the spread of the virus, Cornell University researchers say. Among the couples who were sexually active for at least six months during the study, 45 percent either adopted safer sex practices or eventually became abstinent. "Neurological Complications of HIV Infection" Lancet (08/17/96) Vol. 348, No. 9025, P. 445; Price, Richard W. Damage to the nervous system is often associated with HIV infection, and various neurological disorders can result. These disorders, which are linked to high morbidity and mortality, include the more common opportunistic diseases affecting the brain, as well as AIDS dementia complex, caused by HIV infection itself. In the British medical journal The Lancet, Dr. Richard W. Price, of San Francisco General Hospital, reviews the pathogenesis of these diseases and relates them to practical diagnosis. Immunosuppression is the most important determinant of neurological complications of HIV infection, he says. In advanced HIV infection, both the major nervous system opportunistic infections and AIDS dementia complex develop. During earlier stages, disorders are rare, but can include uncommon encephalopathies and a type of brain disorder similar to multiple sclerosis. The incidence of AIDS-related neurological diseases rises dramatically as immunosuppression progresses. In advanced AIDS patients, neurological disorders are grouped according to symptoms, including headaches, focal CNS symptoms or signs, "non-focal" cerebral and/or motor dysfunction, and myelopathy. Prevention and treatment strategies include antiviral measures and secondary or adjuvant strategies to lessen the toxic pathways leading to brain dysfunction. "Taking a Hit" Advocate (08/20/96) Vol. 713, No. 714, P. 91; McFarlane, Rodger Many Hollywood celebrities, moved by personal losses from AIDS, have become leaders in speaking out about the disease and in urging compassion for AIDS patients. Actors with HIV and AIDS, however, have criticized the industry for shunning them from the business. In a job market where competition is intense, physical appearance and stamina are highly valued, and public perceptions about an individual's personal life are critical, HIV-positive actors often keep their infected status closely guarded. While insiders say that insurance claims for people working in Hollywood indicate that hundreds of actors are infected with HIV, most choose to keep their condition confidential. Some say the situation has improved and that producers would only consider an actor's HIV status a liability if he or she was to play in a long-running series. One HIV-positive television actor said that the real point of actors not disclosing their HIV status is to keep the audience in the dark.