Date: Thu, 23 Jan 97 09:38:51 EST From: "David Radune" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 01/23/97 AIDS Daily Summary January 23, 1997 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. 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 ****************************************************** "Plan for Test to Determine If AIDS Can Be Cured Is Delayed a Year by Top Researcher" "Genetic Advantage: Inside Science's Race to Learn Why Some Seem Immune to AIDS" "New Anti-AIDS Drug Touted, Then Attacked" "Homosexuality Doesn't Need a 'Cure'" "AIDS: It's Not Over" "Search for 'Miracle' Leads to Untried Therapies" "Across the USA: North Carolina" "First Lady Joins AIDS Benefit" "HIV Kits Target Untested Market" "Medical Group Asks Entertainers to Drop Support of PETA" ****************************************************** "Plan for Test to Determine If AIDS Can Be Cured Is Delayed a Year by Top Researcher" New York Times (01/23/97) P. B10; Altman, Lawrence K. Plans to stop treatment in an HIV-positive person--to determine whether the virus has been eradicated--have been delayed a year, AIDS researcher Dr. David Ho reported Wednesday. Ho, who heads the project at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, had proposed to stop combination drug treatment in patients in whom HIV has been suppressed for two to two-and-a-half years. At a news conference in Washington, Ho said that his patients have not yet been asked to stop therapy in order to test the theory that AIDS could be curable. He explained that the delay was due to additional findings that suggest that HIV could hide in some tissues and reinfect the body if drug therapy is stopped. "Genetic Advantage: Inside Science's Race to Learn Why Some Seem Immune to AIDS" Wall Street Journal (01/23/97) P. A1; Waldholz, Michael AIDS researchers are racing to develop drugs that mimic the HIV protection afforded some people by a newly discovered genetic mutation. The new finding is encouraging, but experts are concerned that the AIDS epidemic could get out of control before new therapies are developed. "If we don't get the next generation of drugs soon, we are going to be facing a terrible crisis," says Margaret Fischl, director of an inner-city AIDS clinic at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. She notes that, among the poor, where HIV is spreading rapidly, the most effective AIDS drugs are too costly. AIDS researchers are meeting in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss the benefits and limitations of the new drug cocktails. Three protease inhibitors were introduced last year, and a fourth is expected to be introduced by early next year. "New Anti-AIDS Drug Touted, Then Attacked" Washington Times (01/23/97) P. A11 Three South African scientists, who claimed to have developed a drug that kills HIV and can reverse the effects of full-blown AIDS, face criticism from other scientists for announcing their findings before they were subjected to peer review. The drug, Virodene PO58, was tested on only 12 patients and was apparently not evaluated in either laboratory or animal tests. "Homosexuality Doesn't Need a 'Cure'" Wall Street Journal (01/23/97) P. A17; Nardi, Peter M.; Portelli, Christopher J.; LeVay, Simon; et al. In response to a Wall Street Journal commentary in which Dr. Charles Socarides and colleagues suggested that the treatment of homosexuality would reduce the risk of HIV transmission for many young men, Peter M. Nardi notes that the majority of HIV transmissions worldwide are attributed to heterosexual contact. Moreover, John F. Krowka contends that the reasoning behind the commentary would also mean that straight women should be encouraged to become lesbians to reduce their risk of HIV infection. "AIDS: It's Not Over" USA Today (01/23/97) P. 1D; Painter, Kim Despite the optimism pervading the new reports on AIDS research, the disease is making inroads in poor communities, where the drugs are often out-of-reach. At Washington, D.C.'s, Whitman-Walker clinic and other inner-city clinics, patients must use private- and public-assistance programs to get the costly drugs. While some have managed to get treatment, others will not seek care until they are too ill. "Search for 'Miracle' Leads to Untried Therapies" USA Today (01/23/97) P. 2D; Painter, Kim Pathologist Mahlon Johnson, who contracted HIV during an autopsy four years ago, wrote "Working on a Miracle" about his experiences fighting the disease since that time. The book is one of many personal accounts of AIDS, but it may be introducing a new genre--the stories of patients with hope of combating the disease. Johnson has benefitted from antiviral therapy and immune therapy with a drug called interleukin-2. "Across the USA: North Carolina" USA Today (01/23/97) P. 10A The University of North Carolina has been awarded a $7.9 million grant by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study viral infections in children. "First Lady Joins AIDS Benefit" USA Today (01/23/97) P. 2D; Williams, Jeannie Appearing at the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) AIDS fundraiser on Wednesday, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton said she anticipates "a day in the new century when AIDS has been conquered." The event honored GMHC supporters David Geffen and Joan Tisch, and Barbara Walters relayed a message from Bill and Camille Cosby, that "like a bullet from a gun, the AIDS virus cannot be called back yet. Hope needs help." Rosie O'Donnell and David Foster hosted the event in Cosby's absence. "HIV Kits Target Untested Market" Marketing News (01/20/97) Vol. 31, No. 2, P. 1; Miller, Cyndee Although the home HIV test kits offered by Direct Access Diagnostics and Home Access Health are similar, the two companies took different approaches to marketing the new products. Direct Access Diagnostic's test, called Confide, is promoted in a serious tone, featuring health care professionals in white lab coats, while Home Access' ads include more controversial themes. Kevin Johnson, of Home Access, said the company is planning to use more targeted marketing strategies in upcoming campaigns. One Home Access ad, geared toward young heterosexual males, was criticized by the Gay Men's Health Crisis for trivializing the implications of a positive HIV test. These ads reportedly emphasize that the tests offer a convenient, anonymous alternative to traditional HIV testing, while those aimed at a teenage audience focus more on the importance of getting tested. Arisa Cunningham, director of marketing at Direct Access, meanwhile, says the company is promoting its test to a general audience. "We wanted to express an understanding of what it feels like for a person to have been exposed to the virus and to feel like they may be infected," she said. "Since the virus doesn't care if you're gay or straight, male or female, the message of understanding is universal." "Medical Group Asks Entertainers to Drop Support of PETA" American Medical News (01/20/97) Vol. 40, No. 3, P. 27 Americans for Medical Progress, a group of doctors and seriously ill patients, held a news conference in December to urge celebrities to stop supporting animal rights groups because they thwart medical research. Susan E. Paris, president of the group, said the entertainers "cannot support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and a cure for AIDS at the same time." They argued that by trying to end animal testing, animal rights activists will delay research toward a cure for AIDS and other illnesses. Dan Mathews, of PETA, called the protest "a sign of our success."