Date: Tue, 13 Sep 1994 09:18:58 -0400 (EDT) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" Subject: CDC AIDS DAILY SUMMARY 09/13/94. AIDS Daily Summary September 13, 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 Sufferers and Relatives Bare Anguish" "Don't Expect New AIDS Drug Soon, Maker Tells FDA" "Two Firms Try to Turn Thalidomide From Horror to Hope" "Couples Using Condoms Are Safer" "Canada Vows to Clean Up Blood System" "HBO Documentary to Honor Tennis Great Arthur Ashe" "Denial Among HIV-Affected Children" "Shifting AIDS Research Back to Basics" "Get Real--When It Comes to Sex, It's Time for the Government to Grow Up, A Prestigious Medical Group Says" ************************************************************ "HIV Sufferers and Relatives Bare Anguish" Philadelphia Inquirer (09/13/94) P. A1; Shaw, Donna "Why did the nation allow us and our loved ones to contract AIDS from contaminated hemophilia medicine?" was the question asked by mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and more at a public hearing held by the Institute of Medicine's Committee to Study HIV Transmission Through Blood Products. The committee was formed to determine whether more could have been done between 1982 and 1986 to prevent HIV contamination and how a future tragedy can be prevented. Many hemophiliacs blame the government and industry for failing to warn of the risks and to properly test the blood. Manufacturers and the FDA claim they responded as soon as possible, considering that so little was known about AIDS at the time. During that time, hemophiliacs were told to continue taking their medicine and that the risk of bleeding to death was much higher than the possibility of contracting AIDS. This emotional session is the second of four meetings planned by the committee, which will issue its report in May 1995. Related Story: Washington Post (09/13) P. A19; Baltimore Sun (09/13) P. B1 "Don't Expect New AIDS Drug Soon, Maker Tells FDA" Washington Post (09/13/94) P. A19 Saquinavir, an experimental drug anticipated by AIDS patients, will not be available outside of clinical trials until at least mid-1995, say manufacturer F. Hoffmann La Roche & Co. The news comes as the FDA holds hearings on whether the government should allow faster access to new treatments. Saquinavir, a first in a new family of potential AIDS drugs known as protease inhibitors, is so complicated to make that Hoffmann La Roche will not have enough to give to patients that are not in its strictly controlled clinical trials. Researcher Waijen Soo warned that even when saquinavir is available under the FDA's expanded access program, fewer patients will receive it than any other experimental drug. "Two Firms Try to Turn Thalidomide From Horror to Hope" Washington Post (09/13/94) P. D1; Day, Kathleen EntreMed Inc. and Andrulis Pharmaceuticals Corp. are leading the campaign to reinstate thalidomide as a useful drug. EntreMed is working with doctors from Harvard Medical School and an affiliated children's hospital to investigate thalidomide's effectiveness in halting a common type of blindness. Andrulis, which claims to be the only FDA-approved thalidomide maker in the United States, is co-sponsoring human trials of thalidomide as a treatment for mouth ulcers in AIDS patients, asbestos inhalation, intestinal disorder, and multiple sclerosis. Two of the Andrulis studies are receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health. "Couples Using Condoms Are Safer" Baltimore Sun (09/13/94) P. 5D; Margolis, Simeon While abstinence is the most certain way to avoid HIV infection, couples that always use condoms during intercourse are safer, says Dr. Simeon Margolis, professor of medicine and biological chemistry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He cites a European study that followed HIV-negative people who had a stable relationship with an HIV-positive partner. Among the 124 couples who used condoms during intercourse, no HIV infection was reported. There was a noticeable rate of transmission among those couples who used condoms inconsistently. Margolis notes that some couples believe they are safe because HIV has not been transmitted, even though they do not use condoms. They are not safe, however, because the amount of HIV in the blood varies over time and the risk of becoming infected is greater during the later stages of the disease. "Canada Vows to Clean Up Blood System" Reuters (09/12/94); Willmer, Tanya In response to a damning U.S. report on the safety of a Toronto blood donor center, Canada announced Monday that it would improve its blood collection system. The U.S. report caused some Canadian plasma to be barred from entering the United States until the Canadian Red Cross meets its safety and quality regulations and is able to qualify for an FDA license. Canadian government and Red Cross officials insist that the problem has been blown out of proportion and that Canadians' safety was never at risk. Officials are trying to regain the public's confidence in this matter, as well as the tainted blood difficulty during the 1980s, which infected more than 1,000 hemophiliacs and blood-transfusion patients with HIV. Improvements to the Canadian system include yearly inspections of blood centers, establishment of an expert advisory committee on standards and procedures, and cooperation with the FDA to "harmonize" with the U.S. and Canadian blood systems, says Diane Marleau, Canadian Health Minister. She adds that the FDA report was misinterpreted and that the violations were technical, not medical. "HBO Documentary to Honor Tennis Great Arthur Ashe" PR Newswire (09/12/94) An HBO Sports Documentary, "Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World," will be premiered tonight at an event co-hosted by Ambassador Andrew Young, The Task Force for Child Survival and Development, and HBO. Ashe was known as a civil rights crusader, an advocate of people with AIDS, and an opponent of South African apartheid, in addition to his standing as a tennis star. The one-hour film tribute will feature rare archival footage and interviews with Ashe and his acquaintances. The screening will take place at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, and be attended by Atlanta's leaders in civil rights, AIDS education and prevention, and sports. "Denial Among HIV-Affected Children" Focus (08/94) Vol. 8, No. 9, P. 8 Three case studies from a home for inner-city children show that denial is one way that youths who have an HIV-infected parent temporarily ignore any related pain and embarrassment. The group foster home housed African-American and Hispanic children between the ages of 12 and 18. In 1990, three children out of 220 living at the home had parents who had died of AIDS. These three teens learned, before placement, to protect themselves by withholding information and avoiding difficult issues. They categorically denied any HIV-related problems, yet continued study indicated deep anxiety. Counselors at the home respected the youths' denial in order to provide a supportive atmosphere. Because confrontation of their denial proved counterproductive, the counselors monitored their behavior and tried to avoid further pathological developments. "Shifting AIDS Research Back to Basics" American Medical News (09/05/94) Vol. 37, No. 33, P. 1; Pinkney, Deborah Shelton Two distinct views emerged at the 10th International Conference on AIDS. One view complained that HIV research has come to a halt, as shown by the lack of recent new information. The other view pointed to progress being made in understanding HIV and its effects on the immune system--which is necessary in developing viable new treatments. Research was presented on genetic therapies, perinatal transmission, and long-term survivors--all of which lead to possible treatments in the future. Clinicians noted that sometimes they have to step back in order to move forward, such as using the new ability to measure the circulating virus in the plasma or making sure the HIV puzzle fits together correctly. With the ability to measure the virus and other new interventions, doctors hope to intervene with patients and track their response to antiretroviral therapy. Researchers are also confident that combination drug therapies will prove useful in blocking the enzyme that spreads HIV from cell to cell and in overcoming the problem of drug resistance. "Get Real--When It Comes to Sex, It's Time for the Government to Grow Up, A Prestigious Medical Group Says" Advocate (09/06/94) No. 663, P. 26; Bull, Chris An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee delivered a report titled "AIDS and Behavior: An Integrated Approach" to the White House and Congress on July 27. The committee said that dramatic steps must be taken to curtail the transmission of HIV because development of a possible cure or vaccine is still years away. The report recommended that the federal government commission a national survey on sexual behavior, as well as lift barriers preventing the successful implementation of needle-exchange programs for drug-users. The report researched the effectiveness of AIDS research programs at the federal government's three primary behavioral research units--the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Use, and the National Institute of Mental Health. The report found that these federal agencies often duplicated various projects and assigned "little research to the social factors and contexts in which individuals contract, transmit, and experience the disease." Correction from AIDS Daily Summary, 09/09/94: "Blacks Far More Likely Than Whites to Have AIDS, Agency Says" New York Times (09/09/94) P. A16 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that black women are almost 15 times more likely than white women to develop AIDS, and that black men are five times more likely than white men to have the disease. The agency said that 55 percent of the 106,949 reported cases of AIDS in the United States last year were among racial and ethnic minorities. Among 100,000 black women, 73 developed AIDS, while only 5 white women out of 100,000 had the disease. Among minority women, 47% of AIDS cases were blamed on intravenous drug use and 37 percent were caused by HIV transmission during heterosexual intercourse. The research shows that complex social, economic and cultural factors complicate AIDS prevention efforts.