Date: Wed, 11 Oct 1995 09:49:04 +0500 From: ghfostel{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghfostel}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 10/11/95 AIDS Daily Summary October 11, 1995 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Pataki Planning to Offer Mothers Results of H.I.V. Tests" "Small Stock Focus: Cell Genesys" "Abbott Labs' Net Gains 8.8 Percent in Quarter" "Surgical Strike: Blood Pressures Drive Ozarks Facility to Snub American Red Cross" "U.S. Wants Information on H.M.O. AIDS Care" "Japan Apologizes to Imported Blood AIDS Victims" "Food Notes: Food for Charity" "France Endorses Prescriptions For AIDS Drug Mixes" "Around the Nation: Washington" "Viral Load: To Treat or Not to Treat?" ************************************************************ "Pataki Planning to Offer Mothers Results of H.I.V. Tests" New York Times (10/11/95) P. B2; Hernandez, Raymond New York Gov. George E. Pataki formally announced on Tuesday a plan to provide mothers with the results of HIV tests performed on their infants. Under the policy, physicians would have to counsel new mothers that they can learn the results of the HIV tests that are currently conducted blindly to every infant in the state. The mothers would be given consent forms and advised to sign them to obtain the results. Critics claim the new policy could violate the pregnant woman's privacy, and note a stipulation which permits a doctor to learn an infant's HIV status if the mother refuses to sign the consent form, and then inform her anyway. The doctor must first determine that the woman or child is at risk of becoming HIV-infected, basing the decision on the woman's lifestyle and medical history. Proponents of mandatory HIV testing say the new measure is a good first step, but have pledged to push for legislation that would require full disclosure of HIV test results whether the mother wants them or not. Related Story: USA Today (10/11) P. 3A "Small Stock Focus: Cell Genesys" Wall Street Journal (10/11/95) P. C7; Bauman, Larry Shares of Cell Genesys skyrocketed 24 percent following an announcement that the company would work with Hoechst Marion Roussel in the development and marketing of a gene therapy program for AIDS. Under the agreement, Hoechst Marion Roussel will purchase about 13 percent of Cell Genesys' outstanding common stock for $20 million, and will offer another $30 million in milestone payments and research financing. Related Story: New York Times (10/11) P. D4 "Abbott Labs' Net Gains 8.8 Percent in Quarter" New York Times (10/11/95) P. D19 Third-quarter earnings at Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill., climbed 8.8 percent, a smaller increase than had been expected on Wall Street, due in part to reduced sales of the company's drugs and diagnostic tests. Abbott reported net income of $382.1 million, up from $351.3 million a year ago. According to analysts, the company's drug sales business was hurt when Abbott raised its prices, causing some customers to make purchases in the second quarter before the changes took effect. Earnings in the diagnostics division--which makes HIV, thyroid disease, and hepatitis test kits--were also lower, reflecting global pressures to keep prices down. Related Story: Wall Street Journal (10/11) P. B4 "Surgical Strike: Blood Pressures Drive Ozarks Facility to Snub American Red Cross" Wall Street Journal (10/11/95) P. A1; Tomsho, Robert The majority of the employees at the American Red Cross' Springfield, Mo., blood bank have left their positions to join the Community Blood Center (CBC) of the Ozarks, which opened in September. The move comes after the Red Cross substantially increased its control of the Missouri bank, thus enraging many of the bank's executives and board members who quickly launched their own blood bank. The Red Cross gathers and distributes nearly 50 percent of the blood collected each year in the United States. However, in recent years, due in large part to the AIDS epidemic, blood has been more difficult to obtain. A $162-million mandatory reorganization of the nonprofit agency has also taken its toll. But the problems have largely been avoided at the Red Cross Greater Ozarks Blood Region, a 39-county area whose headquarters is in Springfield. Still, radical measures were implemented almost overnight in the facility, stripping down the local board to essentially an advisory panel which had little control over budgeting, personnel, or the distribution of locally donated blood. In April, the Red Cross also ordered Springfield to raise its price per unit of red blood cells 6 percent, a rate of increase more than double what local hospitals were used to. After much debate, key members of the Springfield organization chose to launch their own venture, finding support in area hospitals. The CBC said that because obtaining a full federal license will take about three years, it will continue to operate under the Kansas City blood bank's license until that time. "U.S. Wants Information on H.M.O. AIDS Care" New York Times (10/11/95) P. B2; Fein, Esther B. Officials at the federal Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) say that New York City must specify how it will protect the needs of HIV and AIDS patients before the government will accept the city's proposal to require managed care for many Medicaid recipients. "Before a plan can be approved or operate, we have to make sure that the network is adequate for everyone's needs or that there are carve-outs for specific populations," said Kathy Buto, associate administrator for policy at HCFA. Maria K. Mitchell, special adviser to New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, said last week she "can't at this time anticipate any problem" if government officials should demand increased specificity, noting that the current plan does not specifically list any chronic diseases. Mitchell also said that plans for expanding the program included requiring health care companies to have "an adequate network of physicians with an expertise in dealing with HIV and AIDS." "Japan Apologizes to Imported Blood AIDS Victims" Reuters (10/11/95) Six years after hemophiliacs infected with HIV filed suit against the government and drug companies for not informing them of tainted blood products, the Japanese government has issued a formal apology. Health Minister Churyu More said, "We would like to sincerely apologize to the families of those who have died and those still fighting the disease. We cannot deny that delayed government measures led to the tragic increase of victims." Mori also said the government was working toward accepting the landmark settlement recommended by the courts, although it is not clear yet if the drug firms involved will settle. "Food Notes: Food for Charity" New York Times (10/11/95) P. C2; Fabricant, Florence On Oct. 19, more than two dozen restaurants will cater a party benefiting the Momentum AIDS Project, which provides meals and companionship to AIDS patients. The event will include a silent auction and a fashion show with commentary by RuPaul. "France Endorses Prescriptions For AIDS Drug Mixes" Reuters (10/10/95) The French Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that it will fund combination therapy for AIDS patients despite the higher cost. The government was prompted by the results of the "Delta" trial, a large-scale investigation that found drug mixtures were more effective than AZT alone in controlling the disease. Patients who took Glaxo Wellcome's AZT with either Roche Holding AG's ddC or Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s ddI had a death rate 38 percent lower over two years than patients taking only AZT. According to a spokesman for the Health Ministry, "Right now the services of the ministry are taking all the steps necessary for bi-therapy prescriptions to be honored in hospitals." "Around the Nation: Washington" Advocate (10/03/95) No. 691, P. 14 Washington state's King County Metropolitan Council has approved an AIDS prevention campaign that pays former prostitutes to distribute condoms to working prostitutes. An $80,000 federal grant will provide funding for the program. "Viral Load: To Treat or Not to Treat?" Nature Medicine (10/95) Vol. 1, No. 10, P. 980; Steele, Fintan R. A procedure called "viral load assay" was a major subject of discussion at a joint U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development-sponsored meeting in September. The workshop was intended to allow AIDS experts to identify and voice solutions for the many problems affecting AIDS clinical trials. The FDA was also interested in researchers' increasing acceptance of the use of the viral load assay as a surrogate marker in both research and clinical settings. Some meeting participants said, however, that the test is only a gauge of the amount of HIV viral RNA in the plasma, and therefore only part of the total amount of HIV in a person. In addition, John Modlin of the Dartmouth Medical School, who is acting chairman of the FDA antiviral drugs advisory committee, argued that the test "doesn't measure infectious virus, but is rather a surrogate for virus replication." Others noted that the test, which has not yet received FDA approval and can be affected by such simple ailments as cold sores, requires more guidance than is currently available, and overemphasizes viral load in light of other useful discoveries since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.