Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 10:28:25 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 07/22/96 AIDS Daily Summary July 22, 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 ****************************************************** "Patents: Pharmaceutical Companies Lay Down $25 Million in Cold Cash for Rights to Hot New AIDS Drugs" "Tending to Patients With AIDS Teaches Valuable Lessons" "AIDS Drugs Cloud Future for Buyers of Life Policies" "Small Stock Focus: Gilead Sciences, BioChem Pharma" "Across the USA: Indiana, Michigan" "More AIDS Patients Found in Ethiopia" "HIV-1 Infects Placenta as Early as First Trimester" "AIDS Mortality Alters Population Projections" "US States Must Cover Protease Inhibitors" ****************************************************** "Patents: Pharmaceutical Companies Lay Down $25 Million in Cold Cash for Rights to Hot New AIDS Drugs" New York Times (07/22/96) P. D2; Riordan, Teresa Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Glaxo Wellcome paid a combined $25 million to G.D. Searle earlier this month for a nonexclusive license to a patent pending for protease inhibitors. Searle, which is owned by Monsanto, had researched the new AIDS drugs, but did not pursue marketing approval. Vertex and Glaxo, meanwhile, are now collaborating on clinical trials of a drug called VX-478. The up-front payment guarantees that Searle will not sue the two companies for payment infringement when the drug is marketed. "Tending to Patients With AIDS Teaches Valuable Lessons" Wall Street Journal (07/22/96) P. B1; Chase, Marilyn The AIDS epidemic has forced many adults into the role of caregiver at an earlier age than usual, as friends and loved ones fall ill in their prime years. At the XIth International Conference on AIDS, caregivers discussed the difficulty of this role, as well as the feeling of strength it gives them. Robert Washington, a mental health expert at the St. Francis Center in Washington, D.C., noted that caregiving means giving up one's own agenda and "being present" for whatever the patient needs. However, says M. Lyndon Haviland, a program coordinator at Columbia University's School of Public Health, caregivers need to remember not to neglect their own needs, so as to stave off depression and exhaustion. To do so, caregivers should delegate tasks to others, take breaks and get counseling when needed, she recommends. "AIDS Drugs Cloud Future for Buyers of Life Policies" Houston Chronicle (07/20/96) P. 1C; Sakson, Steve Medical advances in AIDS treatment are impacting the viatical settlement industry, which is based on buying life insurance policies from people who are dying. To maintain the 15 percent annual returns such companies now offer investors, they may have to buy policies from only the sickest patients and pay less for all policies. The advent of protease inhibitors caused stock in viatical settlement firms to drop substantially in the past year, with National Capital Benefit's parent company losing 50 percent and Dignity Partners falling 77 percent. AIDS activists are concerned because they say that the long-term benefits of the drugs are not proven and that without the money some patients get from selling their life insurance, they may not be able to afford rent, food, or medicine. "Small Stock Focus: Gilead Sciences, BioChem Pharma" Wall Street Journal (07/22/96) P. C1; Lohse, Deborah Biotechnology stocks were among those recently affected as the Nasdaq Composite Index declined. According to data from Prudential Securities, the 77 biotechnology stocks on its biotechnology index fell 21 percent. Some advisors, however, are now recommending certain biotechnology companies that have become relative bargains in the market sell-off. David Bayer of American Express Financial Advisers recommends Gilead Sciences, a leader in research on AIDS drugs, while Stefan Cobb of Sirach Capital Management recommends BioChem Pharma, a company that has seen its earnings estimates increase as its new AIDS therapy, 3TC, hits the shelves. "Across the USA: Indiana, Michigan" USA Today (07/22/96) P. 12A Hemophiliacs in Indiana can sue drug companies whose blood products allegedly were contaminated with HIV, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled. In Michigan, meanwhile, an Oakland University biology professor has been reinstated following a ruling that his suspension was unfair. Prof. Rasul Chaudry had been charged with not ensuring the safety of faculty and students engaged in AIDS research. "More AIDS Patients Found in Ethiopia" Xinhua News Agency (07/20/96) Blood tests of 817 Ethiopian patients in three hospitals found that 509 were infected with HIV. In Axum and Adwa hospitals, the number of HIV-positive patients has increased 30 percent over last year. According to a new report from the Ethiopian News Agency, the majority of the infected individuals are civil servants, drivers, prostitutes, and ex-servicemen. The Ethiopian National AIDS Control Department recently disclosed that there are also an estimated 350,000 people with full-blown AIDS in the country. "HIV-1 Infects Placenta as Early as First Trimester" Reuters (07/19/96) HIV-1 can infect the placenta as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, reported Chiara De Andreis of Milan and colleagues in the June issue of the journal AIDS. The researchers said they found HIV in two-thirds of cord blood samples analyzed in their study of 30 HIV-positive women. They said, however, that more research was needed to determine "the source of HIV in cord blood and the possible contribution of placental or maternal cells infected with HIV to vertical transmission of the virus." "AIDS Mortality Alters Population Projections" 1996 World Population Data Sheet of the Population Reference Bureau (06/96) AIDS has presented itself to demographers as a disease whose long-term impact must be considered. In Africa, HIV and AIDS already appear to be altering the demographics of up to 30 nations, particularly Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The United Nations estimated in 1994 that the population of seriously affected sub-Saharan countries would be about 4 percent less in 2005 than it would have been without AIDS. However, new analysis by the U.S. Bureau of Census' International Programs Center predicts a greater impact from AIDS in some countries than had been projected. According to the forecasts, the population of sub-Saharan Africa in 2025 will be 100 million lower than what had been expected. Taking into account a moderate impact from AIDS, Africa's population could reach about 1.5 billion by 2025 and will near 2 billion by mid-century. "US States Must Cover Protease Inhibitors" Lancet (07/06/96) Vol. 348, No. 9019, P. 52; Barnett, Alicia Ault The Clinton administration has informed state Medicaid programs that they must cover the three newly approved protease inhibitors. The administration also cautioned states to be careful not to "excessively or unreasonably restrict" coverage of any HIV/AIDS therapies. Sally K. Richardson, director of the Medicaid Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that limiting access to drugs needed by HIV-infected patients can have "serious ramifications, including the emergence of resistance if such drugs are discontinued."