Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 09:45:27 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 07/18/96 AIDS Daily Summary July 18, 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 ****************************************************** "Buyer of AIDS Patients' Insurance Quitting" "Tiny Czech Lab Makes Promising Gains With Drugs for AIDS, Related Illness" "BioChem Shares Tumble in Nasdaq Carnage, Despite Drug's Critical Role in AIDS Cocktail" "Preventing AIDS Is Still the Best Investment" "AIDS Protesters Confront Chretien" "Attorney Honored for Giving Free Assistance to HIV-Positive Clients" "Shortsighted Prescription-Drug Policy" "Mother Breast Feeds HIV Baby" "Health Care/Market Facts: Tracking AIDS Is Tricky Business" ****************************************************** "Buyer of AIDS Patients' Insurance Quitting" New York Times (07/18/96) P. D8 Dignity Partners, one of the first companies to buy life insurance policies from AIDS patients, announced a halt to its business on Wednesday. The company noted that new drugs that prolong survival of people with AIDS may hurt their business. The company's share price on the Nasdaq stock market dropped 77 percent to $1.375 on the news, down $4.6875. More than 95 percent of Dignity Partners' business involved policies held by people with HIV or AIDS, the company said. "Tiny Czech Lab Makes Promising Gains With Drugs for AIDS, Related Illness" Wall Street Journal (07/18/96) P. A6; Calbreath, Dean The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences has developed a drug for AIDS-related blindness that recently hit the market. Analysts predict that the drug Vistide, licensed to Gilead Sciences of Foster City, Calif., could bring in $45 million in annual sales. The institute has also developed two anti-HIV drugs--PMPA, which could replace Glaxo Wellcome's AZT, and PMEA, which Gilead is already readying for marketing. PMPA, which may be able to prevent HIV infection, has an advantage over AZT in that it does not need to be absorbed by the body's cells to begin blocking HIV. "BioChem Shares Tumble in Nasdaq Carnage, Despite Drug's Critical Role in AIDS Cocktail" Wall Street Journal (07/18/96) P. C2; McGough, Robert; Chipello, Christopher J. BioChem Pharma was not spared in the recent carnage in the Nasdaq Stock Market, even though its AIDS drug 3TC was reported to be a critical factor in AIDS treatment. Last week, the company's stock closed 43 percent below its May peak of 50. In the past two days, however, the stock has rebounded, closing Wednesday up 1, at 32. 3TC, which is manufactured and sold outside of Canada by Glaxo Wellcome, is part of a three-drug combination that appears to be able to suppress HIV. "Preventing AIDS Is Still the Best Investment" New York Times (07/18/96) P. A22; Lamptey, Peter; Gelman, Irwin H.; Duane, Thomas K. In a series of letters to the editor appearing in the New York Times, three writers take issue with various points made in Gabriel Rotello's July 14 commentary. Dr. Peter Lamptey, director of the AIDS Control and Prevention Project, argues that AIDS prevention efforts have not failed, as Rotello suggests. Lamptey cites increased condom use and reductions in HIV infection rates. Meanwhile, Irwin H. Gelman, a microbiologist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, writes that, without an effective vaccine, combination drug therapies are the best hope for treating HIV infection. Furthermore, Thomas K. Duane, a member of the New York City Council, objects to Rotello's proposal to exclude patients from drug therapy programs based on their inability to follow a strict regimen. "AIDS Protesters Confront Chretien" Toronto Globe and Mail (07/17/96) P. A4; Cox, Kevin At a campaign-style picnic on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien was met by AIDS activists who complained that Chretien had not attended the international AIDS conference in Vancouver last week. Chretien, who said he was on vacation with his family, pointed out that the Canadian government has spent $41 million a year on a five-year plan to combat the disease. He accused some activists of falsely claiming that support for AIDS research is being cut off next year. "Attorney Honored for Giving Free Assistance to HIV-Positive Clients" Houston Chronicle (07/17/96) P. 22A; Villafranca, Armando Houston attorney Michael Katine has been honored by the State Bar of Texas with the 1996 Frank J. Scurlock award for providing free legal services to HIV-positive indigent clients. Katine took on HIV-positive clients in the early- and mid-1980s, despite the jeers and jibes from some of his peers and the strong social stigma against people with the virus. For two years, Katine has held free legal workshops and seminars on HIV and the law. He volunteers as legal counsel for both the Montrose Clinic and the Loving Arms Foundation, which provide free medical care to HIV patients. Katine continues to serve the HIV-community, providing estate planning, dealing with insurance conflicts, and job discrimination. "Shortsighted Prescription-Drug Policy" Washington Post (07/18/96) P. A26; Gibson, Thomas F. In a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, Thomas Gibson, president of the American Lung Association, responds to a Post series on TennCare, contending that the program may hurt efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB). TennCare's prescription drug program covers only partial TB therapy, Gibson says, which could result in the emergence of drug-resistant strains. He points out that the program is too restrictive of doctors' abilities to prescribe drugs, denying them the authority to use their best judgment. In the case of TB, he says that patients would not be able to get the most effective drugs until they are hospitalized. "Mother Breast Feeds HIV Baby" United Press International (07/16/96) A woman who accidentally breast fed a baby born to an HIV-positive mother said Tuesday that she will sue the hospital if it does not settle out of court for $200,000. The mother and her own child have not tested positive for the virus, but a six-month detection period is needed to be sure they are not infected. The woman had been given the wrong baby to nurse by a staffer at Broward Medical Center. Hospital officials said there is only a small chance the baby could give the woman HIV and claimed there was no grounds for a settlement because no one was hurt. "Health Care/Market Facts: Tracking AIDS Is Tricky Business" Crain's Chicago Business (07/01/96) Vol. 19, No. 27, P. F12; Ferkenhoff, Eric Health care experts warn that the reported 30 percent decline in the number of AIDS cases in Chicago between 1994 and 1995 could be misleading. The number of cases reported reflects how many are processed by surveillance officials during the year, not necessarily the number of cases diagnosed, they note. James Cappleman, a social worker with the AIDS program at St. Joseph's Health Center and Hospital, said the number of cases is not declining, but may be holding steady. The figures may be misleading due to previously overlooked cases being tracked down later and added to totals for later years. Overstating the gains made is dangerous because "people who don't even acknowledge the fact that they're at risk are now going to start thinking the epidemic is going away," says James Murphy, of the Chicago Department of Public Health.