Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 10:16:31 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 03/04/96 AIDS Daily Summary March 4, 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 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 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "FDA to Quickly Clear Merck AIDS Drug, After Approving Abbott's Treatment" "FDA Approves AIDS Drug Ritonavir in 72 Days" "Hope, Concern Greet AIDS Drug" "Epidemiology: Insight Into Spread of AIDS" "Tokyo Minister Bares Mistakes in AIDS Policy" "Nationline: Support Threatened" "Drug Holds Off HIV Damage" "Pomegranates Could Help in Battle Against AIDS" "Bovine (Beta)-Lactoglobulin Modified by 3-Hydroxyphthalic Anhydride Blocks the CD4 Cell Receptor for HIV" "Helping PWAs Find Jobs" ************************************************************ "FDA to Quickly Clear Merck AIDS Drug, After Approving Abbott's Treatment" Wall Street Journal (03/04/96) P. B3; McGinley, Laurie Ending one of the most remarkable weeks in the history of the AIDS epidemic, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recommended approval on Friday of Merck & Co.'s Crixivan (indinavir). FDA Commissioner David Kessler stated that the agency would approve the protease inhibitor by the time the pharmaceutical concern was ready to ship it, noting that "we don't want to hold up their launch." Merck Research Laboratories President Edward Skolnick said that his company would be prepared to start distributing the drug in mid-March or early April of this year. Crixivan was recommended for approval following the presentation of studies which found that 40 percent of the patients who took the drug alone and 90 percent of the patients who took the drug in combination with AZT and 3TC had their HIV fall below detectable levels. Related Story: Investor's Business Daily (03/04) P. A19 "FDA Approves AIDS Drug Ritonavir in 72 Days" Washington Post (03/02/96) P. A8; Schwartz, John The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Friday Abbott Laboratories' protease inhibitor Norvir, known generically as ritonavir, just 72 days after Abbott submitted its application. The agency awarded full approval for use of the drug in late-stage AIDS patients and limited approval for its use in others. Abbott spokesman Doug Petkus said that Norvir will be available in two weeks. The rapid approval--the fastest AIDS drug approval ever--was supported by Patrick Korten, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, who said that the approval was "good news" for AIDS patients, but noted that drugs for other diseases are not receiving such rapid authorization. Related Story: Chicago Tribune (03/02) P. 2-1 "Hope, Concern Greet AIDS Drug" USA Today (03/04/96) P. 1D; Painter, Kim The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) approval of Abbott Laboratories ritonavir and the recommendation for approval of Merck & Co.'s indinavir has given HIV-infected individuals some of the best news in a long time. Timothy Rodrigues, of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, says, "There's a great deal of hope that we haven't seen in the epidemic for a very long time." There is, however, also concern about the length of efficacy of the new drugs and about how many people will be able to buy them. Activists worry that the new drugs will cost at least $5,800 a year, the price of Hoffmann-La Roche's already approved saquinavir, and note that if the drugs must be combined, the total could easily reach $15,000 to $20,000. Furthermore, Troy Petenbrink of the National Association of People With AIDS contends that if insurers and government programs that buy drugs for the uninsured do not pay for these treatments, the majority of the patients will not receive them. "Epidemiology: Insight Into Spread of AIDS" Washington Post (03/04/96) P. A2 Harvard University researcher Max Essex reported in Friday's issue of Science that HIV-1 subtype e from heterosexual patients in Thailand grew much faster and reached significantly higher levels in Langerhans' cells than HIV-1 subtype b, the most common subtype in the United States. Although HIV's preferred target is a specific class of immune-system cell, Essex wanted to determine whether the two viral subtypes were equally able to penetrate the Langerhans' cells, which line the vagina. HIVe--which is most common in Asia and Africa--has been identified in only a few Americans. According to Essex, however, if that subtype spreads in the United States, heterosexual women could be at an even greater risk. Related Story: Boston Globe (03/02) P. 7 "Tokyo Minister Bares Mistakes in AIDS Policy" Wall Street Journal (03/04/96) P. B1; Hamilton, David P. Naoto Kan, Japan's health and welfare minister, revealed his own ministry's involvement in the spread of HIV just weeks after taking office. In early February, Kan criticized Health Ministry officials for permitting the spread of HIV through untreated blood plasma and blood products in the 1980s and released related incriminating documents whose existence had been denied for years. Soon after, Kan apologized to the nearly 2,000 Japanese hemophiliacs who became HIV-infected from the tainted blood products, noting that "until now, the government's responsibility has never been clear." Moreover, Kan says he will not end his crusade with the blood products case--he has already repealed Japan's leprosy quarantine policy and says he will call for policy changes that would enable physicians to use AIDS treatments approved for use overseas without going through the ministry's time-consuming approval system. "Nationline: Support Threatened" USA Today (03/04/96) P. 3A; Kriss, Claudine The Catholic Church may discontinue its support of social agencies and hospitals if it loses a wrongful-death suit filed by a couple who attribute their child's death to clergy at a church-supported group home in Ohio, according to Bishop James Griffin. The couple claims that their son, who died of AIDS-related complications in January at age 44, contracted HIV from members of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd during sexual attacks. The church has rejected any allegations that either it was responsible or that the clergy members were the cause. "Drug Holds Off HIV Damage" Toronto Globe and Mail (03/01/96) P. A8; Immen, Wallace Researchers at McGill University in Montreal claim that early treatment of HIV infection with the drug 3TC can delay the destruction of the body's immune system. According to Dr. Mark Wainberg and others, 3TC "freezes" HIV's ability to mutate, thereby enabling the immune system to catch up. Wainberg, the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, whose laboratory developed 3TC, therefore proposes in the journal Science to "use 3TC to stabilize the immune function and then hit the virus with other drugs." "Pomegranates Could Help in Battle Against AIDS" Reuters (03/01/96) A virucide derived from pomegranates may be an effective means of protecting against HIV, according to British scientists. Professor Gordon Stewart, Nottingham University's head of applied biochemistry and food science, says the substance, which was discovered during tests to detect food poisoning bacteria, is very active over short exposure times and notes that "if there is viral contact [the pomegranate substance] would act as an anti-viral agent." Professor Steven Myint, a virologist from Leicester University, says that the virucide will require at least two years of development before it can be made commercial. The British government has awarded a $68,000 grant to Rio Pharmaceuticals to perform a 12-month assessment of the substance. "Bovine (Beta)-Lactoglobulin Modified by 3-Hydroxyphthalic Anhydride Blocks the CD4 Cell Receptor for HIV" Nature Medicine (02/96) Vol.2, No.2, P. 230; Neurath, Robert A.; Jiang, Shibo; Strick, Nathan; et al. Because HIV targets T lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, and dendritic cells, compounds that block HIV-CD4 binding are therefore expected to inhibit viral transmission. Robert Neurath and colleagues at the Laboratory of Biochemical Virology at the New York Blood Center found that bovine (Beta)-lactoglobulin (B-LG), an abundant milk protein and the major component of whey, modified by 3-hydroxphthalic anhydride (3HP-B-LG), blocked HIV and SIV from binding with CD4, the virus' common receptor. The compound blocked the virus by binding to the CD4 surface glycoproteins and monoclonal antibodies specific for HIV. The researchers also found that the compound inhibited HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV infection. Unlike anti-HIV drugs which the virus becomes resistant to, agents targeted to the CD4 receptor for HIV can inhibit a wide range of HIV-1 isolates and are less likely to stimulate drug-resistant strains of the virus. In addition, because the compound is inexpensive and widely available, the researchers suggest that it would be a good candidate for reducing the frequency of HIV transmission. They say that 3HP-B-LG could be preapplied topically to prevent sexual transmission of the virus by generating a barrier against infection. After the compound is removed, they theorize, CD4 receptors would remain blocked. "Helping PWAs Find Jobs" Washington Blade (02/16/96) Vol.27, No.7, P. 8; Johnson, Wendy Finding a job can be especially stressful for people with HIV, but in Washington, D.C., a 12-week program called Career Choice can help. The program introduces people with HIV and AIDS to sources of legal, social, and financial assistance available to them. It is the first such support program in the country and is funded through a $50,000 federal Choice Grant. The participants share experiences in open discussions and hear from guest speakers, who talk about living with HIV and AIDS and the legal rights of "disabled" people. Working at home is a practical choice for people with HIV and AIDS, but usually requires a computer. Career Choice helps people acquire the necessary materials, and focuses on the rights and protections afforded by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Harry Hall, the director of Development Team Inc. who designed this first-of-its-kind program, has designed similar programs for people with physical, learning, or chronic disabilities. One 40-year-old Career Choice participant said the program gave him knowledge, insight, and confidence.