Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 10:00:52 +0500 From: "Vaux, Lenore" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 03/14/96 AIDS Daily Summary March 14, 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Panel Offers Sharp Criticism of AIDS Research Programs" "School Parents Call Halt to Use of Book on AIDS" "Senate Ready to Repeal Law to Dismiss Soldiers with HIV" "Book World: Infectious Pessimism" "Toughing it Out" "Specialists Help HIV Patients Live Longer" "U.S. Firm to Sell More AIDS Drug to France" "Neurological Manifestations of HIV Infection a Focus of Paris Conference" "Merck Protease Inhibitor: More News from Retroviruses Conference" "'Lost' Files Link HIV Infections to Health Ministry Decision" ************************************************************ "Panel Offers Sharp Criticism of AIDS Research Programs" New York Times (03/14/96) P. A1; Altman, Lawrence K. U.S. government-sponsored AIDS research needs more scientific oversight and review by outside scientists and a speedier system to award research grant, a government-appointed panel said in a report released Wednesday. However, the group of 114 scientists and representatives from academia, the drug industry, community organizations, and AIDS advocates rejected the idea for an institute especially for AIDS. Arnold J. Levine of Princeton University, led the panel, which found "numerous incidents" when the government's process "unfortunately appears to have failed in identification of the most promising research projects." The panel said a better method was needed to track the money the government invests in AIDS research. The panel said research should focus on drug and vaccine development, clinical trials, immunology, and basic research. It also said the Office of AIDS Research, which commissioned the study, should be strengthened. Government officials were pleased with the study, but Larry Kramer of the Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP, said it did not offer much new information. Related Stories: Baltimore Sun (03/14) P. 5A (03/14) P. A1; Philadelphia Inquirer (03/14) P. A9 "School Parents Call Halt to Use of Book on AIDS" New York Times (03/14/96) P. B7 A group of parents of students at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, N.Y., have complained that Magic Johnson's book "What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS" is inappropriate for 14- and 15-year-olds. Last month the school district stopped using the book, which was a part of health classes for four years. The parents took issue with the book's written depictions of oral and anal sex. On Tuesday, the school board ruled to establish a health advisory council to review all materials used in health classes and to let parents allow their children to "opt out" of any instruction they objected to. "Senate Ready to Repeal Law to Dismiss Soldiers with HIV" Baltimore Sun (03/14/96) P. 2A More than half of the Senate is in favor of repealing a law that would force the discharge of all HIV-positive military members. The repeal does not have the same level of support in the House, but has bipartisan support in the Senate as well as support from the Clinton administration. "Book World: Infectious Pessimism" Washington Post (03/14/96) P. C2; Epstein, Steven In this book review of Peter Duesberg's "Inventing the AIDS Virus," in which Duesberg outlines his controversial theory of why AIDS is not caused by HIV, reviewer Steven Epstein calls the book readable, although some parts seem too lengthy and detailed. Duesberg was the first scientist to disagree with the widely accepted conclusion that HIV causes AIDS, but more than his criticism of this theory, the book offers a broad revisionist history of virus hunting. Duesberg contends that AIDS only the most recent example of virology's use of inconclusive links between viruses and illnesses. He also criticizes the customs of the modern, commercialized world of science, but is cautious and unconvincing when he responds to evidence and contradicting arguments. Duesberg was shunned from the AIDS research community, and his research grant was not renewed. According to reviewer Epstein, he advances a conspiracy theory in the book of the promotion of the HIV hypothesis and the suppression of dissent. "Toughing it Out" Richmond Times-Dispatch (03/13/96) P. D1; Yost, Barbara Mary Fisher became an AIDS activist after she revealed that she was HIV-positive at the 1992 Republican convention. Since then, the mother, artist, and former aide to President Ford has comforted and encouraged others fighting AIDS. While President Clinton promised to make AIDS a top issue, little has changed. Fisher claims there is a lack of leadership, and that communities and individuals need to become involved in fighting AIDS. Fisher continues her fight, both in public appearances and in her book, "My Name is Mary: A Memoir." "Specialists Help HIV Patients Live Longer" Reuters (03/13/96) AIDS patients who are treated by physicians highly experienced in the disease tend to live significantly longer, a new study has found. The study, conducted by Mari Kitahata of the University of Washington, followed 403 AIDS patients and found that the death rate was 43 percent lower among those patients treated by doctors with the most AIDS-related experience. The most experienced doctors in the study had treated at least six AIDS patients, or a minimum of two patients and had been in a hospital residency training program with a high volume of AIDS cases. Paul Volberding of the University of California said that doctors who care for only occasional AIDS patients have more difficulty staying well-informed on the rapidly changing standards of good care. "U.S. Firm to Sell More AIDS Drug to France" Reuters (03/13/96) Abbott Laboratories has promised to immediately provide the experimental protease inhibitor ritonavir for several thousand French AIDS patients, Prime Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday. Last month the government said the drug would initially only be available in small quantities, enough to treat about 100 of the country's 18,000 AIDS patients. AIDS activists had protested the proposal for a lottery to allocate the drug and demanded that the company supply a larger quantity. "Neurological Manifestations of HIV Infection a Focus of Paris Conference" Reuters (03/13/96) The neurological manifestations of HIV infection were a focus of the 7th Neuroscience Conference on HIV Infection in Paris last week. Dr. Gerard Said of Hospital de Bicetre in Paris said that most patients do not experience clinical neurological effects during the early stages of HIV infection into the nervous system. He said that while symptomatic involvement of the central nervous system is not realized until the onset of immunosuppression, peripheral neuropathy may also play a role in the alteration of the central nervous system. Opportunistic infections and lymphoma can cause neurological manifestations, but can be decreased with prophylaxis. "Merck Protease Inhibitor: More News from Retroviruses Conference" AIDS Treatment News (02/16/96) No. 241, P. 1; James, John S. Promising results with Abbott's protease inhibitor Norvir (ritonavir) and Merck's protease inhibitor Crixivan (indinavir) were featured at the 3rd Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. However, the limitations of the indinavir results must also be considered. The two combination trials--one lasting six months, one lasting one year--each have 78 participants, but results on the clinical outcome of the treatment are not yet available. The most promising result presented at the conference was from the ongoing trial of the combination of indinavir, AZT and 3TC. The study focused on the percentage of volunteers whose viral load dropped to an undetectable level. At 16 weeks, 24 of 26 volunteers using the triple combination had undetectable viral levels. In another study, which combined indinavir, AZT, and ddI, 59 percent of the participants had an undetectable viral load at 20 weeks. Early studies of indinavir alone found that resistance developed rapidly and that the virus usually returned to its initial level within 24 weeks. Still, the drug might have some benefit even after resistance develops, because the studies also showed that CD4 level increases of a median 80 to 100 were sustained for at least one year. "'Lost' Files Link HIV Infections to Health Ministry Decision" Nikkei Weekly (02/26/96) Vol. 34, No. 1711, P. 1; Fulford, Benjamin Documents released by the Japanese government show that the Health Ministry rejected recommendations made in 1983 to use only blood products that had been heated to kill HIV. Heat-treated products were not used until July 1985. No one knows why the recommendations were rejected and why the ministry repeatedly denied knowing of the AIDS threat to hemophiliacs. However, Takeshi Abe--who headed the ministry task force that received the heat-treating advice--said in 1988 that he wanted to give Green Cross Corp., a medical supplies company, a chance to catch up with the new recommendations. Abe was one of six high-level ministry officials given jobs in the blood industry after retiring. The newly-found documents show that the ministry was concerned about the effect the ban would have on domestic drug companies. More than 200 of the hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from the tainted products are suing the government and five drug companies, and court decisions have suggested that the plaintiffs will receive compensation. The companies have not agreed on the settlement, in which they would pay each plaintiff $428,571, or 60 percent of the total compensation.