Date: Fri, 14 Oct 1994 09:06:32 -0400 (EDT) From: "JOHN FANNING, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary October 14, 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 ************************************************************ "HIV Carrier Pleads Guilty of Murder Try in Sex Case" "Organization Fighting AIDS Homes Wins Round" "Don't Name Blood Donors with HIV, Group Warns" "Grants Given for AIDS Fight" "AIDS Groups to Protest Request to Block Public's Access to AZT Patent Trial Proceedings; Patent Rights to $300 Million of AZT at Stake" "NJ Announces Pioneer Plan for AIDS Families" "Biomune Systems Inc. Announces Principal Investigator for Phase II Studies" "Northfield Laboratories Reports First Quarter Results" "AIDS: Case: Doe v. Magsaysay" "A Program That Works: AIDS-Smart Hair" ************************************************************ "HIV Carrier Pleads Guilty of Murder Try in Sex Case" Philadelphia Inquirer (10/14/94) P. B7 An HIV-infected man, Peter McAndrew, pleaded guilty on Thursday to attempted murder by knowingly having unprotected sex with a 15-year-old. The former counselor at a home for emotionally troubled youths also pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault on the boy--a patient--with whom he had sex many times between August 1991 and July 1992. The judge ordered a pre-sentencing investigation, and McAndrew--who faces up to 12 years in jail--was released on $80,000 bail. The boy, now 18, shows no signs of HIV-infection. "Organization Fighting AIDS Homes Wins Round" Richmond Times-Dispatch (10/13/94) P. B5; Cooper, Alan The Forest Hill-Bliley Road Neighborhood Association, in Virginia, will not be charged with violating federal and state fair housing laws for opposing AIDS group homes in the South Richmond area. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development published guidelines in September stating that attempts to exercise free speech rights should not be the basis of fair housing investigations. The group held neighborhood meetings, testified before for committees of the General Assembly, and circulated letters within the community to protest the appropriateness of AIDS homes in their neighborhood. The neighborhood association has discontinued legal action because a suit would cost approximately $40,000. "Don't Name Blood Donors with HIV, Group Warns" Toronto Globe and Mail (10/13/94) P. A4; Coutts, Jane The Canadian AIDS Society said Wednesday that health officials should not be given the names of HIV-infected blood donors who, in a hepatitis B study nine years ago, did not consent to being tested for the virus that causes AIDS. The organization, warning it may go to court to stop a "terrible precedent," was responding to Richard Schabas, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, who said that the Red Cross must comply with the law and reveal the names of the HIV-positive donors found while testing 175,000 blood samples taken before an HIV screening test was available. The Ministry of Health does not require reporting of HIV-infection, as long as health authorities feel that counseling has been given and there has been some kind of attempt to notify the infected person's partners. Schabas wants the names of those now being tested because he says there is no way to determine if counseling or notification actually occurred. "Grants Given for AIDS Fight" Richmond Times-Dispatch (10/13/94) P. E8 A total of 10 Virginia organizations have been granted almost $300,000 collectively by the state Health Department to educate hard-to-reach populations about AIDS and HIV. The groups will target racial minorities, homeless people, inmates, substance abusers, prostitutes, out-of-school youths, women, gay youths, and more. "AIDS Groups to Protest Request to Block Public's Access to AZT Patent Trial Proceedings; Patent Rights to $300 Million of AZT at Stake" PR Newswire (10/13/94) AIDS advocacy groups representing people living with HIV strongly opposed a request by attorneys for Burroughs Wellcome to seal court proceedings of a patent infringement trial concerning the rights to produce AZT. A federal judge in North Carolina heard arguments Thursday from both sides as to whether court records and documents from the trial, which have been on public record since July 1993, should remain open. Burroughs Wellcome filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Novopharm and another generic drug manufacturer which sought to produce a less expensive version of AZT. "The American public paid for development of this drug and we've been paying for it ever since in terms of astronomical prices," said Sally Cooper, Executive Director of People With AIDS Health Group, a not-for-profit organization that purchases and imports to the United States AIDS treatments that are either unavailable in the United States or are less expensive abroad. Novopharm filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application more than two years ago, based on the claim that the Burroughs Wellcome patent is invalid because the National Institutes of Health was a co-inventor. "NJ Announces Pioneer Plan for AIDS Families" Reuters (10/13/94) Abandoned housing in New Jersey will be renovated as part of the only program nationwide to provide permanent housing to families in which a parent is infected with HIV. Four non-profit organizations will make the housing available to the families and will also offer a wide range of social services to help them deal with the disease and the resulting loss. Other cities--such as New York and San Francisco--have similar projects, but the New Jersey program is the first statewide attempt. Authorities hope to move families into their homes within a year. A family must meet federal subsidy standards to be eligible, but once admitted to the program, there will be no time limit on the family's residence. "Biomune Systems Inc. Announces Principal Investigator for Phase II Studies" Business Wire (10/13/94) Dr. Donald P. Kotler has been named principal investigator for Biomune Systems Inc.'s initial Phase II human clinical trial of its biologic drug, IMMUNO-C. Kotler, Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a leading expert in AIDS-related gastrointestinal diseases. He has co-written over 100 reports concerning HIV and AIDS, including many on the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. The Phase II trials will study IMMUNO-C's effectiveness in treating cryptosporidiosis in people. Cryptosporidium is a parasite which causes severe gastrointestinal distress and can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems. "Northfield Laboratories Reports First Quarter Results" PR Newswire (10/12/94) Northfield Laboratories Inc. on Wednesday reported a first-quarter, fiscal year 1995 loss of $1.8 million, which was expected because the company does not have any sales or revenues. Northfield is currently engaged in Phase II clinical trials of its blood substitute, PolyHeme, a solution of chemically modified hemoglobin derived from outdated blood. PolyHeme has three advantages over blood: it avoids the risk of blood-borne diseases such as AIDS; it is universally compatible, thus eliminating the need for blood typing or matching and; it has a shelf life of one full year under proper storage conditions. Northfield Laboratories is a leader in the development of a safe and effective blood substitute. "AIDS: Case: Doe v. Magsaysay" National Law Journal (09/26/94) Vol. 17, No. 4, P. C3 The plaintiff received more than 200 units of blood in 1985 after developing pancreatitis related to an adverse drug reaction. Because of the transfusions, he contracted hepatitis and was later diagnosed as HIV-positive. The plaintiff sued his doctor, charging that medical malpractice led to the need for transfusions, which led to his infection with HIV. In June 1990, he was awarded $2.92 million. "A Program That Works: AIDS-Smart Hair" Essence (10/94) Vol. 25, No. 4, P. 50 To combat the problem that women and youths in the rural South are the fastest-growing group of people with HIV, DiAna DiAna of DiAna's Hair Ego founded the South Carolina AIDS Education Network in 1987. DiAna distributes condoms and AIDS information to clients and shows AIDS prevention videos while their hair dries. DiAna has been certified by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and now conducts presentations throughout South Carolina with a group of youths she calls the AIDS-busters. Popular demand encouraged DiAna to create several videos, including "AIDS Info Upfront" and "What If You Give a Kid a Condom?"