From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" <[email-masked]>

AIDS Daily Summary 
                     November 23, 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
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Copyright 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

"Disabilities Act Wins A Round in AIDS Case" 
New York Times (11/23/93) P. D2  (Freudenheim, Milt) 
     A federal judge in New York Friday handed down the first decision 
upholding the authority of the Americans with Disabilities Act  
over health plans that discriminate against AIDS-infected  
employees.   The Mason Tenders District Council Welfare Fund,  
which represents a group of New York construction companies and  
laborers' unions, slashed medical benefits for construction  
worker Terrence P. Donaghey Jr. and three other employees with  
AIDS--one of whom died recently.  The Mason Tenders contended  
that it acted properly in denying AIDS coverage so that it could  
maintain its ability to reimburse members for other illnesses.   
Judge John E. Sprizzo rejected a motion by the fund, which  
claimed exemption from the act under a federal pension law called 
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Erisa).  The ruling  
means that the burden of proof is on the fund to prove that it  
was not illegally discriminating against Donaghey.  The ruling  
cannot be appealed without the judge's approval, and Sprizzo  
announced that he had no intention of certifying an appeal.  He  
did, however, schedule a January conference to establish a  
timetable for further arguments and hearings. 
 
"Germany Finds 2 Blood Donors Had AIDS Virus" 
New York Times (11/23/93) P. A3  (Kinzer, Stephen) 
     Two donors who sold blood to UB Plasma, a German firm suspected  
of distributing HIV-contaminated blood, are indeed infected with  
the AIDS virus, prosecutor Norbert Weise announced Monday.  One  
donor was identified as Romanian; the other was identified only  
by a company-assigned code number.  The HIV status of nine other  
donors could not be confirmed as negative, added Weise.   
Investigators had checked 25,018 blood samples from some 4,000 UB 
Plasma donors, but the results were not "absolutely reliable"  
because records were not fully in order.  So far, however, none  
of the company's thousands of blood recipients who have been  
tested have contracted the AIDS virus.  "These results suggest  
that the worst fears have not been confirmed," said Weise. 
 
"Canadian Red Cross Recalls Product Made With German Plasma" 
Reuters (11/23/93) 
     Ottawa--The Canadian Red Cross on Monday recalled a blood product 
made with plasma supplied by UB Plasma, a German pharmaceutical  
company that was closed down for distributing HIV-contaminated  
blood.  For fear that it may not have been thoroughly screened  
for the AIDS virus, the agency recalled Factor 9, a blood  
clotting agent used by hemophiliacs.  The Red Cross is tracing  
200 Canadian hemophiliacs who use Factor 9 in order to recover  
three million vials of the product.  The agency has sent a team  
of officials to investigate Austrian manufacturer Immuno, which  
makes Factor 9 with plasma supplied by UB Plasma.  According to  
Red Cross spokesperson Angela Prokopiak, the Red Cross also  
alerted Canadians to Immune Serum Globulin, another Immuno  
product, which is sold directly to Canadian pharmacies.  "We are  
erring on the side of safety," said Prokopiak.  "Most countries  
are withdrawing any product made with this plasma." 
 
"British Biotech Company Sets Up Shop Near Annapolis" 
Baltimore Sun (11/23/93) P. 11C  (Shelsby, Ted) 
     Maryland's emerging biotechnology industry advanced yesterday  
with the announcement by British Bio-technology Group PLC of  
England that it will open a U.S. clinical research subsidiary  
near the state capital.  According to the company's vice  
president of research and development, the Annapolis office will  
cater to three primary roles, including the clinical testing of  
the parent company's experimental drugs.  One of the drugs in  
development is one to delay the onset of AIDS in HIV patients.  A 
second role will involve working with the Food and Drug  
Administration to obtain government input and to approve new  
drugs.  The final primary purpose of the office is to attract  
investors. 
 
"Eve van Grafhorst, 11; Ostracized for Having AIDS" 
Chicago Tribune (11/22/93) P. 1-13 
     An 11-year-old girl who was shunned and ostracized by her  
Australian hometown because she had AIDS has died of the disease. 
Eve van Grafhorst contracted the virus after her birth in 1982,  
when she received a blood transfusion.  AIDS was diagnosed three  
years later.  Eve and her family were then confronted with  
hostile residents in Kincumber, Australia.  Local people called  
for the child's ban from kindergarten and suggested that the  
family simply leave town.  The van Grafhorsts finally moved to  
New Zealand and, although the town of Kincumber publicly  
apologized for its behavior, remained there.  "Hers was a public  
courage which helped us compre1hend how people living with HIV and 
AIDS face a daily challenge of prejudice and ignorance," said  
Bruce Hammington, chairman of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.   
"She helped to break down those barriers." 
 
"Immucell Announces Postponement of Milestone Payments Due to  
Support Clinical Program to Develop Treatment for Diarrheal  
Infections in AIDS and Other Patients" 
Business Wire (11/19/93) 
     Portland, Maine--Instead of making the milestone payment owed to  
ImmuCell Corp., Univax Biologics Inc. will make three monthly  
installments of $10,000 each from December 1993 through February  
1994.  Univax has been conducting clinical trials of CryptoGAM,  
an ImmuCell product.  "The additional three months are needed to  
adequately explore the outstanding dosage and drug delivery  
questions that must be answered before initiating Phase II/III  
studies," said Michael F. Brigham, chief financial officer of  
ImmuCell.  CryptoGAM is an polyclonal antibody product which is  
administered orally for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis in  
AIDS patients.  This infection, for which there is no effective  
treatment, occurs in 10 to 15 percent of American AIDS patients,  
frequently resulting in death.  Cryptosporidium parasites invade  
the small intestine, causing severe and often debilitating  
diarrhea.  CryptoGAM has been under study by Univax Biologics  
under an Investigational New Drug Application approved by the  
Food and Drug Administration. 
 
"Elton John's 'Duets' Ships Platinum in Stores on Nov. 23" 
PR Newswire (11/22/93) 
     Universal City, Calif.--MCA recording artist Elton John will  
release his new album Wednesday, with proceeds from one of the  
singles benefiting an AIDS charity.  The 'Duets' album features  
John and an all-star list of duet partners.  The debut single  
from the album is a remake of "True Love," the Cole Porter  
classic.  All royalties from the recording will go to the Elton  
John AIDS Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization  
established in 1992.  The foundation provides money for two  
critical areas of the AIDS crisis--direct patient care and AIDS  
education.  Earlier this fall, the organization announced that,  
in its first year of existence, it raised $1.65 million.  "True  
Love" is already a Top-10 success on adult, contemporary radio  
and premieres this week on Billboard's Top 100 chart. 
 
"FDA to Impose New Safety Rules on Trials" 
Washington Blade (11/19/93) Vol. 24, No. 49, P. 35  (van Hertum,  
Aras) 
     In an effort to prevent harmful side effects of experimental  
drugs from endangering patients participating in trials, the U.S. 
Food and Drug Administration recently proposed new rules for  
clinical testing.  The recommendations would require scientists  
conducting clinical trials to report any deaths, serious  
symptoms, and situations that force patients to stop taking the  
experimental drug, regardless of whether or not it appears to be  
linked to the drug.  Scientists would also have to describe each  
case and explain why they believe they are, or are not, linked to 
the drug's side effects.  The proposal was drafted following the  
deaths of five patients enrolled in a trial of fialuridine  
(FIAU), an experimental hepatitis B drug.  FIAU may also have  
been responsible for the deaths of five other patients in a  
previous trial. 
 
"Forging the Magic Bullet" 
Vanity Fair (11/93) Vol. 56, No. 11, P. 42  (Hitchens,  
Christopher) 
     A small group of doctors has formed a small start-up  
biotechnology company called Seragen, where they are working on a 
"magic bullet" for AIDS that calls for the mutation of a deadly  
disease from the past to combat the most deadly disease of today. 
This promising new approach is known as DAB 389 IL-2 or IL-2  
fusion toxin, and involves the application of genetic engineering 
to diphtheria bacteria.  Dr. Clyde Crumpacker, associate  
professor of medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, who is  
the principal investigator of a select HIV research team of  
physicians and patients, describes the treatment as one that is  
"safe and well-tolerated, and inhibits the production of HIV RNA  
at a very low dosage."  Crumpacker claims that fusion toxin can  
"eliminate virally infected cells and not harm the noninfected  
ones."  Dr. John R. Murphy, professor of medicine and chief of  
biomolecular medicine at Boston University Medical Center  
Hospital, made the first progress in the development of IL-2  
fusion toxin.  When Murphy and colleagues suggested experiments,  
they met with objections reminiscent of Michael Crichton's novel, 
The Andromeda Strain, which raised fears that researchers could  
create a new pathogen rather than a new therapy.  The first  
fusion toxin was finally developed and proved that the scientists 
had not created a new pathogen, and that fragments of diphtheria  
toxin could be cloned and redirected toward a selected receptor.  
If all this is possible, what is the catch?  The fact that,  
although experts are well-informed about the virus, little is  
actually known about AIDS itself.  Still, Seragen holds the  
patent on the development of fusion toxins and, while it conducts 
an ongoing trial, is preparing its facilities in anticipation of  
FDA approval of the promising treatment. 
 
"Thalidomide Redux" 
Discover (11/93) Vol. 14, No. 11, P. 22 
     Although thalidomide caused British and German women to give  
birth to babies with serious defects in the 1960s, the drug has  
once again emerged in clinical applications.  In recent studies  
at Rockefeller University, scientists discovered that thalidomide 
stops the growth of HIV in laboratory cell cultures.  If clinical 
trials produce similar results, thalidomide may someday become a  
powerful new therapy for those infected with HIV.  According to  
Gilla Kaplan, an immunologist at Rockefeller, thalidomide  
functions selectively by aiming for tumor necrosis factor (TNF),  
a powerful physiological stimulator of HIV.  TNF transmits immune 
signals, such as stimulating certain white blood cells.  The AIDS 
virus appears to attack activated cells, and TNF offers HIV a  
means to replicate itself.  Thalidomide prevents TNF from  
synthesizing.  Kaplan and her group insert the drug into infected 
cells removed from patients with HIV.  In the treated cells,  
Kaplan found the rate of TNF production and the rate of HIV  
replication slowed by an average of 60 percent. 

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