AIDS Daily Summary October 25, 1993 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 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD "Canada Clears 3TC, AIDS Drug in Trials, for Certain Patients" Wall Street Journal (10/25/93) P. C15 Canada's Health and Welfare department has approved the anti-AIDS drug 3TC for the treatment of patients unable to tolerate other authorized AIDS medicines. The ruling would allow some AIDS patients who do not qualify for participation in clinical trials of 3TC to use the experimental drug in a last-ditch effort. Canada has become the first country to allow the "compassionate-use" of 3TC. The drug, engineered to interfere with the replication of HIV, is undergoing testing in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In an agreement with BioChem Pharma Inc., Glaxo Holdings PLC is supporting the development process. Glaxo's Canadian division anticipates having final results within a year. "Testing Rights for AIDS Drug Returned to Tanox" Journal of Commerce (10/25/93) P. 8A Ciba-Geigy Ltd. has given back to Tanox Biosystems all rights to develop a product for the treatment of AIDS patients. Swiss pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy had no experience with this type of product or with protective antibodies against the AIDS virus, and could not determine the probability of success from preliminary trials, according to David Anderson, executive vice president of Tanox. Also, Tanox wants more control over the process, he added. Although Ciba returned the rights, it is still working with Tanox to develop antibody-based products for allergy treatments and asthma. Tanox has been recommended by the National Institutes of Health's AIDS Clinical Drug Development Committee for government-supported clinical trials of AIDS-439. The government's AIDS Clinical Trial Group would conduct Phase I tests of AIDS-439 on infants at risk of contracting the virus. Tanox's product has finished preclinical Phase I tests in 12 infected adults, which demonstrated that the product had no adverse side effects. The AIDS development committee also recommended that Tanox experiment with AIDS-519, another AIDS-antibody product. "U.S. Company to Test Gene Therapy for AIDS" Reuters (10/22/93) Seattle--Targeted Genetics Corp. has begun a trial of a new AIDS treatment using genetically modified white blood cells that recognize and attack cells with the AIDS virus. The Phase I tests will determine the safety of the experimental treatment on 15 patients with HIV. Targeted Genetics will work with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the study. During the tests, scientists will extract blood from patients, and white cells that have developed the ability to fight cells infected with HIV will be prompted to grow and multiply in cell cultures. Following this procedure, the scientists will insert a genetically altered virus, known as HyTK, which will place two genes into the cells. One gene, known as a marker gene, will permit scientists to determine which cells have the double gene. The second gene, known as a suicide gene, will force the cells to produce an enzyme found in a herpes virus, causing HIV-infected cells to become vulnerable to drugs that kill herpes viruses. If the altered cells begin to harm patients, the scientists can use the second gene to stop the process. "Too Few Doctors Treating AIDS, Physician Warns" Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (10/22/93) P. A20 (MacLeod, Robert) Dr. Philip Berger, one of Toronto's leading AIDS doctors, says there is a paucity of physicians in the city willing to treat patients afflicted with AIDS. He says "Outright bigotry, homophobia, and prejudice against intravenous drug users" are the reasons for the decline, and he adds that the work load for doctors willing to administer care to those with AIDS has reached enormous proportions. Dr. Berger says he has seen 16 family doctors or primary care physicians discontinue their AIDS services in the past six years. "There is a fear [among doctors] of being publicly identified as an AIDS doctor," Berger said, citing a study that showed patients are apt to leave a doctor if they know he treats AIDS. He went on say that of Toronto's thousands of medical doctors, only 38 currently treat AIDS patients. Berger's revelation comes on the heels of a report given to the Toronto Board of Health that fingers AIDS as the leading cause of death among Toronto's male community aged 25 to 44. Estimates show that 14,000 people in Ontario have the virus that leads to AIDS. "AIDS: 'A Whole Shift in Attitude'" Baltimore Sun (10/23/93) P. 1B (Selby, Holly) In the four months since being appointed the United States' first national AIDS policy coordinator, Kristine M. Gebbie has been successful in eliciting cooperation from all sides. Gebbie's post was created by President Clinton to fulfill a campaign promise. While the job carries much weight and exposure, it wields very little power. Gebbie, however, points out, "My job represents a whole shift in attitude in Washington." Gebbie is chiefly responsible for coordinating the policies of all federal agencies that have anything to do with the deadly disease. Among her top priorities are coordinating AIDS research so that duplicated efforts are eliminated, supporting needle exchange efforts, placing more emphasis on behavioral science, and pushing Congress to continue funding the Ryan White Act. Gebbie also endorses the policy of reporting by name those people with AIDS or HIV. One of her first actions was to announce that all 3 million federal workers would receive AIDS prevention education starting sometime in 1994. Most AIDS activists, though, are reserving judgment on Gebbie's performance until the real battles on Capitol Hill start up. "Deep Thinking From the AIDS Czarina" Washington Times (10/25/93) P. A20 Before a group of health care specialists on the White House lawn last Wednesday, AIDS czar Kristine Gebbie denounced the United States' persisting Victorian attitudes about sex and called for society to loosen up. "Victorian society that misrepresents information, denies sexuality early, denies homosexuality particularly in teens, and leaves people abandoned with no place to go" cannot be tolerated, said Gebbie. After her remarks hit the press, the White House retracted Gebbie's statement on her behalf. Instead, the former nursing educator meant to say, "Abstinence is the surest prevention of HIV transmission and must be communicated as part of the complete prevention message." However, the editors of the Washington Times write that the White House's statement was "neither what Ms. Gebbie said, nor what she thinks." Recalling a statement Gebbie made at the Oct. 3 annual meeting of the Design Industries Foundation, the editors note that the AIDS czar believes that teaching abstinence is "criminal" because "it spreads fear and leads to adults who see nothing positive about their sexuality." Regardless, the editors find Gebbie's assessment of American society as Victorian to be ludicrous. "Anyone who can find Victorian repression prevailing in a culture that has given us Madonna, Sharon Stone, and Robert Mapplethorpe has to have a screw [loose,]" the editors conclude. "Ampligen Proves Effective Against Resistant HIV" Journal of Commerce (10/21/93) P. 8A The experimental drug Ampligen has proven effective against AZT-resistant strains of HIV, according to HEM Pharmaceuticals Corp. of Philadelphia. Ampligen is a double-stranded RNA compound developed by HEM. According to the company's research summary, AZT and other current AIDS treatments attack HIV at only a single point in the reproductive process, allowing the virus to easily mutate to a resistant form. Immune-based drugs like Ampligen, however, wake up the body's dormant natural immune system and generate antiviral activity that attacks HIV at several points, making resistant mutations less frequent. One study described indicates that patients who have been taking AZT for at least six months and are treated with Ampligen before the onset of advanced disease, can not only maintain a higher number of CD4 immune cells, but also preserve the functionality of those cells. "National Media Pitch 'A Penny for AIDS': Cable, Broadcast Television Join Celebrities, Video Stores to Boost Awareness for AIDS Fundraiser" PR Newswire (10/21/93) Los Angeles--Cable and broadcast television will air publicity announcements by celebrities soliciting support for "A Penny for AIDS," the national week-long fundraising effort of the Video Industry AIDS Action Committee (VIAAC). The campaign will donate one cent for each video tape or disc rented or purchased by customers, retailers, and all companies involved in the video industry from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1. So far, over 2,000 retailers have committed to the project. According to co-chair Harry Klingman, participation by just half of the nation's video stores could raise $1 million. "The campaign sets a precedent unlike many AIDS charity events," he said. "It's not a gala fundraiser that requires a large contribution of residence in a major city. It is truly a 'grass roots' movement." The PA spots feature the likes of Rosanna Arquette, Mario Van Peebles, Marky Mark, Richard Simmons, Robert Guillame, and more, and will be broadcast on outlets including Comedy Central, MTV, Playboy, USA, and Telemundo. VIACC was founded in 1989, and has raised no less than $500,000 for AIDS service organizations. "Dutch MP Urges Rethink on European Condom" Reuters (10/21/93) Amsterdam, Netherlands--A Dutch politician announced that she will urge the European Commission to rethink plans for a standard European condom. The commission calculates that the average erect European penis measures about 6.7 inches long and 2.2 inches wide. Nel van Dijk, a member of the Dutch Green Party of the European Parliament, is worried that the EC's two-year discussion on a standard prophylactic may not consider differences in penis size. She justified her concerns by producing evidence published in a medical journal last week that some men complained that one-size-fits-all condoms are too tight. The Dutch Green Party called it a serious issue because it impacts condom use, which in turn affects the spread of AIDS. "Advanced KS: Liposomal Doxorubicin Trial Recruiting, Many Cities" AIDS Treatment News (10/01/93) No. 184, P. 7 Liposomal doxorubicin (brand name DOXIL) is an experimental form of a standard doxorubicin drug used for treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma. DOXIL is being marketed quickly because it will also likely be an important improvement for the treatment of certain cancers. And because the lesions characterized by Kaposi's sarcoma are visible and easy to measure, they supply a fast means for proving efficacy. Two trials of DOXIL are currently recruiting. One trial will compare DOXIL to standard treatment ABV for advanced Kaposi's sarcoma by randomly assigning patients to receive each treatment. The trials will be conducted at about 30 research centers across the United States. The second trial will give open-label DOCIL only to those who have already failed ABV. "BRF--Ethiopia-AIDS" Associated Press (10/19/93) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia--AIDS is spreading swiftly in Ethiopia, with hospitals reporting 335 new cases each month since July, reports a senior health official. Although hospitals say that there are 8,735 cases of AIDS in Ethiopia, the actual figure is about 43,000, claims Dr. Mengistu Mihret, head of the National AIDS Prevention and Control Office. As many as 500,000 Ethiopians are infected with the AIDS virus, he told participants at an AIDS prevention seminar Monday, adding that one-third of the infected population is married and about 62 percent are men. "The negligence by the public of the dangers of the virus" contributes to the spread of the disease, says Mengistu. "Estimated 30,000 Swazis Have HIV Virus" Reuters (10/20/93) Mbabane--About 30,000 people in Swaziland are infected with HIV, according to Dr. J.J. Mambo of the National AIDS Control Office. There were 319 confirmed cases of people with full-blown AIDS by the end of September, he reported. "Gov. Chiles Calls Statewide Business Conference on AIDS" PR Newswire (10/21/93) Lake Buena Vista, Fla.--Gov. Lawton Chiles challenged Florida business and labor leaders to join the battle against AIDS by creating education programs for the workplace that will help employees and their families better understand the disease. Chiles said the increasing spread of the virus worldwide "mandates that government and business work together to meet the challenge in our communities and our work force." He delivered his challenge at the Governor's Leadership Conference on AIDS, a statewide conference on workplace-based HIV/AIDS programs. It was sponsored in conjunction with "Business Responds to AIDS," a program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With 33,000 total reported cases, Florida ranks third in the nation in AIDS cases. Eighty-five percent fall into the category of people aged 20 to 49, which is three of every four people in the state's labor force. "Swiss Ciba-Geigy Returns AIDS Drug's Testing Rights to Houston's Tanox" Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (10/21/93) Swiss pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy Ltd. has returned to Tanox Biosystems all rights to develop a product for treatment of AIDS patients. Ciba had no experience with the product, protective antibodies against HIV, said Tanox Executive Vice President David Anderson, adding that the decision to transfer the rights was mutual. Tanox has, in the meantime, received recommendation from the Clinical Drug Development Committee of the National Institutes of Health to conduct government-sponsored Phase I clinical trials of its product AIDS-439. The committee also encouraged Tanox to conduct preclinical studies of a second AIDS antibody product, AIDS-519. ------- End of Forwarded Message