Date: Fri, 04 Nov 1994 09:02:55 -0500 (EST) From: "JOHN FANNING, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary November 4, 1994 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 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "David Feinberg, 37, an Author Who Wrote of Life with AIDS" "Leukemia Drug May Help Combat AIDS" "Philadelphia AIDS Discrimination Settlement Benefits Both Sides" "Health Ministry Calls Manila an HIV Hot Spot" "Surgimetrics Signs Letter of Intent with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Begin Clinical Trials of Its HIV (AIDS) Screening Test Kits for Use by PLA" "Targeted Genetics Reports Third Quarter Financial Results" "Burke Waits for Death" "Quilts Comfort Stricken Babies Around the World" "AIDS, HIV, and Mental Health" "Only a Phone Call Away: Educating Health Care Professionals About HIV/AIDS" ************************************************************ "David Feinberg, 37, an Author Who Wrote of Life with AIDS" New York Times (11/04/94) P. A33; Dunlap, David W. Author and ACT UP member David B. Feinberg died of AIDS on Wednesday at the age of 37. Two of his books, "Eighty-Sixed" and "Spontaneous Combustion,"--both fictional--followed the devestation caused by AIDS of gay life in New York. "Queer and Loathing: Rants and Raves of a Raging AIDS Clone" will be published in three weeks. As a member of ACT UP, Mr. Feinberg was arrested multiple times at demonstrations protesting official indifference or hostility, including the disruption of the Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in December 1989. Most recently, however, he criticized that ACT UP "wastes precious time bickering" and "indulging its obsession with the Catholic Church" at a time when he wanted "every argument and action to help save my life." "Leukemia Drug May Help Combat AIDS" Reuters (11/03/94); Kenen, Joanne Researchers have found that hydroxyurea--a drug used to treat leukemia--has blocked HIV from reproducing in several kinds of cells in laboratory tests. While excited about the potential for the drug, the scientists warn that tests that offer promise in the lab sometimes prove disappointing in humans. Hydroxyurea is not a cure for AIDS, but it does control HIV when used in conjunction with other drugs such as AZT or ddI. Researcher Franco Lori anticipates clinical trials in humans to start soon because the drug has been in use for more than 30 years and its side effects are known. "Philadelphia AIDS Discrimination Settlement Benefits Both Sides" Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (11/03/94) The Scott Doe AIDS discrimination case was settled out of court to prevent what could have been for both sides a completely unpredictable jury verdict. The settlement provides Doe with quick cash, which Kohn, Nast & Graf's insurance company will pay, say legal sources. The law firm's insurance policy states that the firm must agree to any settlement of a claim, but if it rejects a proposed settlement by the insurance company, the firm could be responsible for any payment as the result of a jury verdict. Sources also say that Doe benefits because the case ended before his professional reputation was damaged and because the trial record was dominated with Doe's testimony as to his own professional excellence. Kohn Nast benefits from the settlement by getting the case off of Court TV, the national cable network that broadcast the trial. The firm admits no wrongdoing, and is spared the expense of paying for the settlement or large legal fees. "Health Ministry Calls Manila an HIV Hot Spot" Reuters (11/03/94) The Philippines' Health Ministry's most recent HIV survey has declared Manila and its suburbs an HIV "hot spot". The survey showed that one in 302 of the capital's registered female sex workers were HIV-infected. "This is an alert that says we have a problem," said Health Secretary Juan Flavier. More than 500 Filipinos are known to have been infected since 1984, and more than 80 Filipinos have died from AIDS. "Surgimetrics Signs Letter of Intent with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Begin Clinical Trials of Its HIV (AIDS) Screening Test Kits for Use by PLA" Business Wire (11/03/94) Surgimetrics International Ltd. announced Thursday that it has signed a letter of intent with the PLA of China and its Central Military Hospital to begin clinical trials of its HIV screening test kits. The 2 million members of the PLA are annually tested for HIV and other diseases. The Surgimetrics HIV 1-2 screening test is an inexpensive test that uses whole blood, serum, or plasma and provides 99.2 percent accurate results within six minutes. "Early detection of AIDS is critically important in the world's effort to control this disease. We are proud to play a role in that effort," said Hugh Cooper, President and Chief Executive Officer of Surgimetrics. "Targeted Genetics Reports Third Quarter Financial Results" PR Newswire (11/03/94) Targeted Genetics Corporation reported Thursday a net loss of $2,225,000 for the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 1994. Increased investment in gene therapy product development and clinical trial programs are cited as reasons for the loss. The expense of holding Phase I trials studying a CTL-based immunotherapy for HIV and for preparing regulatory filings for additional trials also contributed to the company's increased expenses. Targeted Genetics currently has two Phase I clinical trials underway at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for potential HIV treatments. "Burke Waits for Death" Richmond Times-Dispatch (11/02/94) P. E1; Wilstein, Steve Glenn Burke, once an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics, is thinking about suicide lately. The 41-year-old former major leaguer discovered last January that he has AIDS and, today, is virtually bedridden because his feet are filled with tumors. "I kinda figured somewhere along the line I would get it," he said. "It's a plague." "Quilts Comfort Stricken Babies Around the World" Reuters (11/03/94); Gardner, Christine For six years now, volunteers for At-Risk Babies Crib (ABC) Quilts, of New Hampshire, have been sending quilts to babies that are dying from AIDS, fetal alcohol syndrome, or complications from crack cocaine. Over 160,000 quilts have been sent to babies--including 1,700 to Romania, 400 to Bosnia, and 152 to Russia in 1991. The quilts are sent to the Episcopal mission that serves as the ABC Quilts base from across the United States, as well as England, Germany, Japan, and Australia. The project was originally created to help babies with AIDS, but expanded when the founder, Ellen Ahlgren, learned of babies with other afflictions. ABC considers itself an AIDS education project and has distributed 12,000 copies of a children's quiltmaking book with a section on AIDS. "AIDS, HIV, and Mental Health" New England Journal of Medicine (10/20/94) Vol. 331, No. 16, P. 1100; Ponton, Lynn E. Michael B. King's book--written for the Psychiatry and Medicine series--leads the reader personally through the world of HIV, AIDS, and mental health. Subjects that are discussed include fear of infection, psychological disorder, sexual behavior, and family members. King clarifies the real clinical risks of psychiatric illness and AIDS and HIV, such as the risk of suicide and when to be concerned about it. "Only a Phone Call Away: Educating Health Care Professionals About HIV/AIDS" Journal of the American Medical Association (10/26/94) Vol. 272, No. 16, P. 1242; Sumaya, Ciro V.; Macher, Abe M.; Bowen, Stephen G. et al The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is now educating and updating health care providers in the clinical management of HIV and AIDS through two telephone services. Established in 1992, the International State-of-the-Art HIV Clinical Conference Call Series lets health care workers from around the world discuss HIV care issues with panels of internationally known clinical experts. Topics and questions to be addressed during the quarterly conference calls are determined by surveying thousands of primary care providers. Evaluations show that the participants find the programs informative and the topics timely. Also, the National HIV Telephone Consulting Service--sponsored by organizations such as the Western AIDS Education and Training Center and the National Institutes of Health's Office of AIDS Research--is an on-line consulting service for health care providers. Primary care providers with HIV-related clinical management questions can call the 800 number and speak to expert consultants. As of February 1994, the program--based out of San Francisco General Hospital--had received more than 4,100 phone calls and 4,600 questions covering all aspects of HIV.