Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 10:36:24 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 07/11/96 AIDS Daily Summary July 11, 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 ****************************************************** "Powerful Response Reported to a Combined AIDS Therapy" "AIDS 'Cocktail' May Turn Glaxo Drugs to Gold" "AIDS's Economic Impact Contradictory, Complex" "Costly New AIDS Drug Therapy Finds Support in Congress, Due to Efforts of Unlikely Alliance" "Genetic AIDS Vaccine Proves Safe, Helps Antibodies in Early Testing" "How Soon to Treat HIV Infection?" "Loans for AIDS Vaccines Urged" "Patients Challenge Drug 'Cocktails'" "Protease Inhibitors: A Tale of Two Companies" "Japan Gives Cel-Sci Patent for Cancer Drug" ****************************************************** "Powerful Response Reported to a Combined AIDS Therapy" New York Times (07/11/96) P. A16; Altman, Lawrence K. Preliminary results of a small clinical trial reported Wednesday have shown that when used in combination, two protease inhibitors can reduce the amount of HIV to virtually undetectable levels. Martin Markowitz and colleagues at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center said that Abbott Laboratories' ritonavir and Hoffmann-La Roche's saquinavir, when used together, apparently stopped the virus from replicating but did not eliminate it from the body. Other drug combinations have shown similar results, but this is the first trial of two protease inhibitors. Some experts had predicted that combining protease inhibitors would cause serious liver damage, but this did not happen in the first six weeks of therapy. "AIDS 'Cocktail' May Turn Glaxo Drugs to Gold" Wall Street Journal (07/11/96) P. B1; Tanouye, Elyse Glaxo Holdings' 1995 acquisition of Wellcome is proving to be more lucrative than first thought, in part because of Wellcome's Retrovir brand of AZT, an AIDS drug that is being increasingly used in combination with some of the newer drugs and another Glaxo Wellcome drug, 3TC (lamivudine). These treatments, along with two other potential therapies that Wellcome also brought to the merger, could bring the combined company's AIDS drug sales from $300 million last year for AZT alone to $2 billion for four drugs within four years, according to UBS Securities analyst Marc J. Ostro. Moreover, Glaxo predicts that 3TC, or Epivir as it is also known, will rival Retrovir in sales, and the company is considering combining the two drugs into one tablet. Glaxo will report on the two experimental drugs--one code-named 1592, which is three times as potent as its cousin AZT and which appears to be as effective as protease inhibitors in reducing viral load, and a protease inhibitor licensed from Vertex Pharmaceuticals--at the 11th International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver today, possibly bundling the drugs with 3TC and AZT in the future. "AIDS's Economic Impact Contradictory, Complex" Washington Post (07/11/96) P. A3; Brown, David The impact of AIDS on national economies is complicated and contradictory, and projections of its effects on the economies of African countries have proven false, an expert told delegates to the 11th International Conference on AIDS Wednesday. Josef Decosas, a doctor and health economist, said that recent studies in Africa have not shown the expected economic damage. The HIV rate in Africa did not reach levels predicted 10 years ago, and some projections did not account for the surplus labor force in Africa, which was able to fill the jobs vacated by workers who died of AIDS. Decosas said that a positive economic impact of the epidemic would not be surprising, citing the economic boom that followed Europe's 14th Century plague. He also suggested that economists focus on the epidemic's impact on individual villages and households, rather than countries. "Costly New AIDS Drug Therapy Finds Support in Congress, Due to Efforts of Unlikely Alliance" Wall Street Journal (07/11/96) P. A16; Georges, Christopher Due in part to intense lobbying by left- and right-leaning AIDS activists and pharmaceutical companies, Congress is expected to increase federal funding by $23 million to help pay for AIDS drugs for the uninsured. Congress and the White House have already agreed to boost spending on AIDS drugs by $52 million in this year's budget for the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. AIDS activists and gay-rights groups, including the Democrat-supporting Human Rights Campaign Fund and the Log Cabin Republicans, have gained increased influence in Congress through increased political contributions. Pharmaceutical companies have also been important contributors and lobbyists for increased government funding for AIDS drugs. They are linked to Republican lawmakers and have formed alliances with AIDS activists. Only a fraction of the huge cost of new AIDS drugs may be covered by current funding levels, however, and the states are likely to feel the financial burden even with federal programs. "Genetic AIDS Vaccine Proves Safe, Helps Antibodies in Early Testing" Philadelphia Inquirer (07/11/96) P. A1; Collins, Huntly The first AIDS vaccine that includes HIV DNA has been found safe and effective in humans, University of Pennsylvania researchers will report today. The vaccine was able to protect two chimpanzees from the virus and has also stimulated antibodies to HIV in infected study participants. Researchers led by David Weiner are preparing to launch a vaccine trial in up to 25 uninfected volunteers. Other vaccines made from HIV proteins have been tested in people, but this will be the first to include HIV DNA. "How Soon to Treat HIV Infection?" USA Today (07/11/96) P. 1D; Painter, Kim Extremely early treatment for HIV, possibly within hours of exposure, was discussed Wednesday at the 11th International Conference on AIDS. Researchers from Canada, the United States, and Switzerland reported that people who took anti-HIV drugs during or within months of infection showed dramatic drops in the level of virus in their bodies. Martin Markowitz of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center will report today that nine men who received a triple-combination therapy shortly after infection remain free of detectable virus after four to 10 months. Doctors say they may stop treating such patients if no virus is found after a year. Health workers already receive anti-HIV drugs if they know they have been exposed to the virus, and this may become practice for individuals exposed through unprotected sex. "Loans for AIDS Vaccines Urged" Financial Times (07/11/96) P. 4; Green, Daniel Developing countries should seek loans from the World Bank to pay for AIDS vaccines, Seth Berkley, chairman of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative said. Borrowing to pay for vaccines would be more cost-effective than paying for treating AIDS patients, he noted. Developing countries could improve the market for an HIV vaccine by offering drug companies money, Berkley proposed. "Patients Challenge Drug 'Cocktails'" Toronto Globe and Mail (07/10/96) P. A8; Immen, Wallace Wednesday, at the 11th International Conference on AIDS, patients voiced their concerns that the new HIV therapies being heralded by drug companies have problematic side effects, are expensive, and may offer only a temporary victory over the virus. They also complained that the drugs must be taken according to a strict regimen and that people taking the drugs must remain on a strict diet. Protease inhibitors may cause nausea, weakness, pain, or kidney stones. Other HIV drugs can cause nervous disorders, and toxic effects on organs or blood cells, and if not taken exactly when prescribed, the drugs may not be effective and can become vulnerable to resistance. "Protease Inhibitors: A Tale of Two Companies" Science (06/28/96) Vol. 272, No. 5270, P. 1882; Cohen, Jon The early success of protease inhibitors in treating HIV infection is an indication that the money invested in AIDS research is finally paying off. Both Merck & Co.'s indinavir and Abbott Laboratories' ritonavir received FDA approval in record time and both drugs show enormous promise in treating HIV. The two drug makers went about developing their drugs in a very different fashion, however. While both were influenced by earlier work on inhibitors of renin--another protease that regulates blood pressure--Merck went all out as early as January 1987 on the development of an AIDS drug, while Abbott did not get into the AIDS drug development business until about five months later. Abbott officially launched its protease program in 1988 after winning a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The company's protease team included three chemists, while it was rumored that Merck had several dozen. Both companies faced challenges, including the death of a Merck team leader and an Abbott drug that demonstrated poor oral bioavailability. Both also had to cooperate with AIDS activists: Merck permitted AIDS activists to sit in on a community advisory board, while Abbott began trials of ritonavir in France to avoid confrontations with activists. Both firms were ultimately successful in producing promising therapies. While indinavir and ritonavir are expensive and raise concerns about the development of drug-resistant HIV, the drugs have clearly ushered in a new era in AIDS research. "Japan Gives Cel-Sci Patent for Cancer Drug" Washington Business Journal (06/21/96-06/27/96) Vol. 15, No. 6, P. 11; Starzynski, Bob Cel-Sci Corp. has been awarded a Japanese patent covering the basic technology required for the production of Multikine, an immunotherapy cancer drug. Officials of the company, who consider Japan to be one of the largest pharmaceutical markets worldwide, say the country's patent office is also one of the most thorough in reviewing biotech patents. Multikine performed well in a recent prostate cancer study in Philadelphia, while Cel-Sci's HGP-30 AIDS vaccine, another promising product, demonstrated efficacy in protecting against HIV infection. "No other vaccines have shown any success until now," notes Geert Kersten, CEO of Cel-Sci.