Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 12:51:52 +0500 From: ghfostel{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghfostel}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: AIDS Daily Summary 10/20/95 AIDS Daily Summary October 20, 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 ************************************************************ "Scientists Report First Success of 'Gene Therapy'" "France Tests Thousands Treated by Doctor With AIDS" "HIV-Positive Man Sues Dental Clinic" "Amgen Announces 27 Percent Increase in Earnings per Share" "ChemTrak Inc. Announces Quarterly Results and Completion of Repositioning" "Nine-Year-Old Child with Falling CD4 Count after Neonatal HIV" "Current Corporate Reports: The Immune Response Corporation" "HIV Coverage Rules Set" "Keeping a Lid on Marijuana Research" "Pump Up the Volume" "HIV Risk Practices of Male Injecting Drug Users Who Have Sex with Men -- Dallas, Denver, Long Beach" ************************************************************ "Scientists Report First Success of 'Gene Therapy'" Washington Post (10/20/95) P. A1; Weiss, Rick Friday's issue of the journal Science contains the first published summary of a landmark experiment in genetic therapy. The report shows that two children with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency who received transplanted genes are healthy five years after beginning the treatment. R. Michael Blaese of the National Center for Human Genome Research, a senior author on the paper, was enthusiastic about the results, but critics point out that the girls' health could also be attributed to the drug PEG-ADA from Enzon Inc. However, gene therapists hope to apply similar strategies to diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and AIDS. Related Story: New York Times (10/20) P. A22 "France Tests Thousands Treated by Doctor With AIDS" Business Wire (10/19/95) The Saint-Germain-en-Laye Hospital Center in Paris said on Thursday that it would test more than 5,000 former patients for HIV after finding out that one of its surgeons had been infected with the virus for 13 years, according to hospital official Michel Pencard. Health officials said that it was very unlikely that the doctor had infected any of his patients. "HIV-Positive Man Sues Dental Clinic" Houston Chronicle (10/19/95) P. 33A; Tedford, Deborah David Keith Slater, an HIV-positive Houston resident, has filed suit against a local dental clinic, two dentists, and his dental insurance carrier, citing Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against the disabled in places of public accommodation. Slater alleges that he arrived for an appointment at Westfield Dental Center and was examined by dentist Linda Newsome instead of David Ashmore, with whom he had the appointment. Newsome allegedly told him that he needed a root canal or tooth extraction and referred him to the Bering Clinic, which provides dental services to individuals with HIV. However, Slater claims that the Bering Clinic refused to perform the root canal, so he was forced to have the tooth extracted. "Amgen Announces 27 Percent Increase in Earnings per Share" Business Wire (10/19/95) Amgen reported a third-quarter increase in earnings per share of 27 percent on Thursday, up from $0.41 a year ago to $0.52. Net income rose 28 percent from $114 million to $145 million, and revenues jumped 16 percent from $426 million to $493 million. The company has boosted its research and development spending to 23 percent of sales, or $106 million. Worldwide sales of Neupogen increased by 7 percent from $215 million in the third quarter a year ago to $230 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30. "We continue to invest heavily in defining both Neupogen's benefits in oncology as well as its future role in a variety of new clinical settings and market opportunities, including HIV and other infectious diseases," said CEO Gordon Binder. Amgen has filed for regulatory approval in Europe for use of the drug in treatment of neutropenia due to myelosuppressive medications in HIV-positive patients. "ChemTrak Inc. Announces Quarterly Results and Completion of Repositioning" Business Wire (10/19/95) ChemTrak Inc. has announced revenues of $486,000, product sales of $271,000, and a net loss of $1,241,000 for the third quarter. CEO Prithipal Singh said the company is preparing to introduce a home testing system for HIV. The company's Pre-Market Approval Application has been accepted by the Food and Drug Administration; approval is expected in 1996. "Nine-Year-Old Child with Falling CD4 Count after Neonatal HIV" Lancet (10/07/95) Vol. 346, No. 8980, P. 963; Giaquinto, Carlo; De Rossi, Anita Giaquinto and De Rossi present follow-up data on a nine-year-old child, in whom HIV was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but who subsequently lost antibodies to HIV. Although blood collected at three and seven months was positive by viral culture in PBMCs, and borderline three months later, polymerase chain reaction was negative for HIV at seven months, positive for ENV and LTR primers at 10 months, but only LTR at 24 and 47 months. The child tested negative for HIV by ELISA and western blot at 16 months. Currently, he is symptom free and his growth and development are normal. One negative point, however, is that the child's CD4 cell level has dropped significantly. The researchers suggest that uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers may have HIV-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity, which indicates possible viral exposure. In this case, although testing for T-lymphocyte activity was conducted, the researchers believe that viral exposure was unlikely due to the negative results of in-vitro antibody-production tests. It is therefore necessary to determine whether seemingly HIV-free children are truly uninfected and unable to transmit the virus that causes AIDS, the researchers conclude. "Current Corporate Reports: The Immune Response Corporation" Barron's: Market Week (10/02/95) Vol. 75, No. 40, P. MW13 Immune Response Corp. will collaborate with Trinity Medical Group Co. Ltd. of Thailand to develop and test the Salk Immunogen in up to 10,000 HIV patients in Thailand. Trinity will fund the endeavor in return for the rights to market the Salk Immunogen in Thailand and selected Asian countries. Immunogen will supply the product for the clinical trials and receive royalties on Asian sales. The clinical trials in Thailand will determine how effective the Salk Immunogen is in delaying the progression of HIV infection to AIDS and complement U.S. clinical trials currently under review by the FDA. "HIV Coverage Rules Set" Business Insurance (10/16/95) Vol. 29, No. 42, P. 2; Hofmann, Mark A. A proposed New Jersey regulation would allow commercial health insurance companies--not health maintenance organizations or self-insured companies--to test new applicants for group policies covering 50 or more people for HIV. The law would allow the companies to deny coverage for applicants who refuse to be tested or for those who test positive, and are later confirmed positive, in FDA approved tests. The New Jersey Department of Insurance said the proposal would have a minimal impact on most employers in the state. Although the proposal would allow group health insurers to directly ask applicants whether they have tested positive for HIV or have experienced symptoms of HIV, they would not be allowed to ask subjective questions or those concerning lifestyle. "Keeping a Lid on Marijuana Research" Nature Medicine (09/95) Vol. 1, No. 9, P. 853; Steele, Fintan R. AIDS activists, researchers, and government officials are going head-to-head in a controversy over a proposed study to examine the effects and usefulness of marijuana on AIDS-related wasting syndrome. Despite receiving the go ahead from the FDA and both state and university review boards, Donald Abrams and his colleagues are finding it impossible to actually obtain the drug because the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will not allow them to have any. When confronted by AIDS-activists, NIDA officials said the drug would be made available if the research was approved through "normal" National Institutes of Health (NIH) peer review although the study is privately funded and does not require an NIH grant. Abrams and his fellow researchers will submit their proposal to NIH but do not expect a favorable outcome. "Pump Up the Volume" POZ (10/95-11/95) No. 10, P. 22 ProScan-A, a new procedure based on cancer diagnostic technology, could change the way in which doctors diagnose HIV progression. The process uses a protein that binds to HIV and a non-toxic radioisotope that sends out signals detectable with a special camera. The radioisotope--which is injected into HIV-infected persons--clings to infected cells and HIV itself, allowing physicians to see the volume and concentration of HIV in the body, according to Joel Sendek, spokesman for Progenics Pharmaceuticals. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City is currently conducting a phase I safety trial of ProScan-A. Progenics ultimately hopes to create a database of thousands of different readings to help physicians in diagnosing the health of HIV-infected persons based on the ProScan-A picture. "HIV Risk Practices of Male Injecting Drug Users Who Have Sex with Men -- Dallas, Denver, Long Beach" MMWR Summary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10/20/95) Vol.44, No.41 Men who report both intravenous drug use and sex with other men (MSM IDU) now account for 7% of AIDS cases in the United States and 21% of cases among IDU. For communities to design effective programs to prevent the spread of HIV to IDU, their sexual partners, and their children, a great deal must be understood about the characteristics, practices, and motivations of this subgroup of men. Findings from three cities --Dallas, Denver, and Long Beach-- demonstrate an urgent need for local prevention efforts to reach to reach MSM-IDU. Interviews with MSM IDU in these areas indicate that these men are at extremely high risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV. The majority had shared injection equipment, traded sex for money or drugs, and had unprotected sex with multiple male and female partners. The findings also illustrate that sexual self-identification as heterosexual or homosexual may not correspond with sexual practices. One third of MSM IDU in this study described themselves as heterosexual.