Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 09:52:15 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 08/16/96 AIDS Daily Summary August 16, 1996 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 National AIDS Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ****************************************************** "AIDS-Related Drug Test Is Halted and Stock Dives" "Mayor Drops Plan to Allow Use of Marijuana as Medicine" "Judge OKs Pact to Pay Hemophiliac AIDS Victims" "Vaccination Gap Puts Thousands at Risk, CDC Says" "One Third of Inner-City Women at Risk for HIV; Syphilis Linked to Acquiring HIV" "Canada Approves Use of New Anti-HIV Drug" "Saratov Leads Other Russian Regions in AIDS Carriers" "Kenya to Start Pilot Project on Male Involvement" "Delta: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial Comparing Combinations of Zidovudine Plus Didanosine or Zalcitabine With Zidovudine Alone in HIV-Infected Individuals" "Reports Bolster Viral Cause of KS" ****************************************************** "AIDS-Related Drug Test Is Halted and Stock Dives" Wall Street Journal (08/16/96) P. B4 The National Eye Institute's announcement Wednesday that a drug made by Protein Design Labs was dropped from its trial for lack of results caused the company's stock to fall 33 percent on Thursday. Protein Design's stock fell $7.625 to $15.50. Protovir was being tested to treat a potentially blinding eye condition common in AIDS patients. "Mayor Drops Plan to Allow Use of Marijuana as Medicine" Washington Times (08/16/96) P. A4; Walsh, Diana San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has decided against declaring a citywide state of emergency to allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes, saying the move could jeopardize the city's needle exchange program. Brown had supported the emergency plan last week but said he changed his mind after talking to members of the police commission and health department officials. Following the closing of the city's Cannabis Buyers' Club last week by state narcotic agents, city officials are trying to reach an agreement with the state Attorney General's Office to allow another organization to distribute the drug to people with AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses. The city's needle exchange program has been operating illegally for the past three years, under the protection that it was needed as a health emergency. Brown expressed concerns that it would be attacked if marijuana use was allowed under the same conditions. "Judge OKs Pact to Pay Hemophiliac AIDS Victims" Chicago Tribune (08/15/96) P. 1-2; Hutchcraft, Chuck A federal District Court Judge in Chicago gave tentative approval to a settlement between hemophiliacs who were infected with HIV and the pharmaceutical companies that supplied the tainted blood products. If, however, the plaintiffs are forced to reimburse Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers for costs already paid for treatment, the deal would be rejected, said a representative for the hemophiliacs. Under the proposal, hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from tainted blood products distributed by Baxter Healthcare, Alpha Therapeutic, Armour Pharmaceutical, or Bayer between 1978 and 1985 would receive $100,000 each. Family members, spouses, and other people who contracted the virus through contact with the infected hemophiliacs would also be eligible. "Vaccination Gap Puts Thousands at Risk, CDC Says" Washington Post (08/16/96) P. A6 A vaccination gap among 10- to 12-year olds has left thousands of American adolescents susceptible to chickenpox, measles, and hepatitis B, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. Each year, more than 30,000 teenagers contract hepatitis B, a liver disease that is preventable with a vaccine. While parents are generally conscientious about making sure their children receive the proper immunizations as infants, adolescents often go unprotected, said Steven R. Mostow of the University of Colorado. "One Third of Inner-City Women at Risk for HIV; Syphilis Linked to Acquiring HIV" Reuters (08/15/96) Two new studies published in the American Journal of Public Health suggest that more HIV prevention programs are needed for women living in inner cities. According to one study, about one-third of women in this population are at high risk for HIV because of the risk behavior of their sexual partners. Kathleen J. Sikkema, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and colleagues, also reported that the majority of women had good overall knowledge of HIV risk but poor knowledge related to proper condom and lubricant use. A related study found that diagnosis of syphilis among women who use drugs reflects high-risk sexual activity and is associated with HIV infection. "Canada Approves Use of New Anti-HIV Drug" Xinhua News Agency (08/15/96) Norvir, an anti-HIV drug made by Abbott Laboratories, has been approved by the Canadian government. The protease inhibitor, also known as ritonavir, was cleared for use in combination with other anti-HIV drugs, but not on its own. According to Abbott Laboratories, tests have shown that Norvir can reduce the risk of disease progression or death by nearly half in patients with advanced HIV infection. "Saratov Leads Other Russian Regions in AIDS Carriers" Itar Wire Service (08/15/96) Russia's Saratov region on the Volga River has more HIV-infected individuals than any other area in the country, health officials reported Thursday. Of the 173 people who have tested positive for HIV in Russia so far this year, 42 were registered in the Saratov region. Health officials have traced the outbreak to a group of drug addicts, who apparently used a contaminated needle. In the Ukraine, the number of AIDS patients has increased by 3,000 in the last few months to an estimated 8,000. "Kenya to Start Pilot Project on Male Involvement" Xinhua News Agency (08/15/96) A five-year pilot project in Kenya will aim to increase male involvement in family planning and subsequently improve the use of contraceptives with hopes of reducing fertility and controlling the spread of HIV. The Family Planning Association of Kenya will spend $8 million on the project, which will initially cover three regions with low rates of contraceptive use. "Delta: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial Comparing Combinations of Zidovudine Plus Didanosine or Zalcitabine With Zidovudine Alone in HIV-Infected Individuals" Lancet (08/03/96) Vol. 348, No. 9023, P. 283; Aber, V.; Aboulker, J.P.; Babiker, A.G.; et al. Zidovudine (AZT) is known to benefit HIV-infected patients but is only able to delay disease progression for a short time. A trial was designed to determine if combinations of AZT with either didanosine (ddI) or zalcitabine (ddC) were more effective than AZT alone. The study, known as the Delta trial, included participants in Australia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. A total of 3,207 individuals were randomized into the three treatment groups and followed for 30 months. The benefits appeared to be greater in patients who had not taken AZT previously. Among them, those who took either combination therapy had substantially improved survival compared to participants who took AZT alone. In patients who had taken AZT before, adding ddI improved survival, but the addition of ddC had no added benefit. "Reports Bolster Viral Cause of KS" Science (08/02/96) Vol. 273, No. 5275, P. 573; Cohen, Jon Although new research lends further credence to the theory that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes Kaposi's sarcoma, some AIDS researchers are still skeptical. Two new studies found that antibodies to KSHV proteins are common only among those who have KS and those who later develop the disease. The findings do not explain why KS in AIDS patients seldom appears in patients other than in gay men, while other human herpesviruses appear throughout the population. Dr. Robert Gallo, director of the University of Maryland's Institute of Human Virology, believes that HIV leads to KS, however. He says the new data do not prove a causal link between KSHV and KS, and points to studies that suggest the virus may be widespread in populations that do not develop the disease.