From server@aspensys.com Fri Nov 8 16:28:19 1996 Received: from casti.com (vector.casti.com [199.181.80.100]) by qrd.rdrop.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with ESMTP id QAA11522 for ; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 16:28:18 -0800 Received: from matrix.casti.com by casti.com (8.6.9/NX3.0M) id TAA03513; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 19:24:21 -0500 Received: from aspen3.aspensys.com (ns.aspensys.com [198.77.70.84]) by matrix.casti.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id MAA01014 for ; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 12:20:56 -0500 Received: by aspen3.aspensys.com (SMI-8.6/SMI-SVR4) id MAA22780; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 12:17:23 -0500 Date: Fri, 8 Nov 1996 12:17:23 -0500 Message-Id: <9610088474.AA847482219@smtpinet.aspensys.com> Errors-To: shelly_olim_at_aspenpo@smtpinet.aspensys.com Reply-To: aidsnews@cdcnac.aspensys.com Originator: aidsnews@cdcnac.aspensys.com Sender: aidsnews@cdcnac.aspensys.com Precedence: bulk From: "Flynn Mclean" To: qrd@vector.casti.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 11/07/96 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Comment: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse AIDS Daily Summary November 7, 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 ****************************************************** "For First Time, Drug 'Cocktail' Seems to Eliminate HIV in its Hiding Places" "Dispensing Needles, Not Judgment" "Feared Drug Is Subject of New Interest" "AIDS Group's Ex-Boss Enters No-Contest Plea" "New Pot Law Brings Turmoil, Concerns" "Blood Brothers" "Nasdaq Drops Novatek" "UPI Science News" "AIDS Rates" "Court: ADA Doesn't Apply to Ex-Workers" ****************************************************** "For First Time, Drug 'Cocktail' Seems to Eliminate HIV in its Hiding Places" Wall Street Journal (11/07/96) P. B8; Waldholz, Michael A new combination of drugs is capable of eliminating all detectable levels of HIV in the body tissues where it is known to reside, researchers say. Previous studies have shown that the drugs can reduce the level of HIV in the bloodstream, but the virus is also known to hide in the tonsils, lymph nodes, spinal fluid, and semen. Sven Danner, of the University of Amsterdam, and colleagues, report that six patients given a combination of Glaxo Wellcome's AZT and 3TC and Abbott Laboratories' protease inhibitor Norvir had no sign of HIV in their tonsil tissue after six months of treatment. A separate study found that the combination of AZT, 3TC, and Boehringer Ingelheim's drug Viramune had a similar impact on HIV in the lymph tissue of patients who had no detectable HIV in their blood. "Dispensing Needles, Not Judgment" New York Times (11/07/96) P. B21; Martin, Douglas The needle exchange van in East Harlem, like the six others in New York City, offers clients free syringes and other drug injecting equipment as well as a place to feel connected and supported. Studies have shown that the programs, which have received state support for more than two years, have reduced the rate of new HIV cases by half among New York City's intravenous drug users. Despite the needle-exchange programs, however, a black market for the needles exists in New York because it is illegal to buy hypodermic needles there without a prescription. On one day, nearly 300 people had visited the van from which the needles are dispensed. Clients carry identification cards to protect them from prosecution. Free condoms and medical and legal services are also offered. "Feared Drug Is Subject of New Interest" Philadelphia Inquirer (11/07/96) P. A13; Cimons, Marlene The drug thalidomide, which caused serious birth defects when used to treat nausea in Canada, Britain, and West Germany 40 years ago, has potential as a treatment for AIDS and cancer patients. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is meeting today and tomorrow to consider the drug's uses. Thalidomide has shown promise against such AIDS-related conditions as mouth ulcers and wasting. "AIDS Group's Ex-Boss Enters No-Contest Plea" Philadelphia Inquirer (11/07/96) P. B1 The former director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force pleaded no contest on Wednesday to charges that he stole $52,000 from the organization. He was sentenced to four years' probation and ordered to repay the money. Francis J. Stoffa Jr., who was accused by a grand jury in March 1995 of embezzling from the group and their parent organization, the AIDS Task Force, over a seven-year period, resigned in April 1994. "New Pot Law Brings Turmoil, Concerns" Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (11/07/96) P. B1; Bailey, Eric The approval of a California ballot initiative to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes has raised concerns among state and federal law enforcement officials. The proposition, which allows doctors to recommend marijuana to treat various conditions, passed on Tuesday with 56 percent support. While officials at the California Medical Association expressed worries that doctors could be persecuted for prescribing the drug, they were also hopeful that the new law would result in the approval of clinical research to study the drug's potential as a medical treatment. Supporters of the initiative have announced plans to put the proposal on the ballot in other states in 1998 and to seek congressional support next year. "Blood Brothers" Financial Times (11/07/96) P. 12 While the risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis from a blood transfusion has grown very small since the tainted-blood incidents of the 1980s, the emergence of synthetic blood is expected to remove any residual fears of disease. Six U.S. companies--Baxter, Enzon, Northfield Laboratories, Biopure, DNX, and Somatogen--are currently testing blood substitutes and Baxter and Northfield will begin clinical trials soon. Company surveys have shown that both doctors and patients are receptive to trying the new products. Synthetic blood is not a complete substitute for blood, but it may offer a temporary replacement during times of excessive blood loss. Synthetic blood also has a longer shelf life than donated blood and is expected to be useful for emergencies and when donated blood supplies are low. "Nasdaq Drops Novatek" Washington Times (11/07/96) P. B12 Novatek, the Columbia, Md., medical supplier being investigated for fraud, has been removed from the Nasdaq stock exchange. Trading in the company was stopped on Oct. 11 because of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Novatek has since filed for bankruptcy protection. "UPI Science News" United Press International (11/06/96); Bovsun, Mara New research may help explain why some babies born with HIV die within 2 years and others can live for 10 years without developing symptoms. Andre J. Nahmias, of Emory University, and colleagues, report in the New England Journal of Medicine that, in some babies, HIV destroys the thymus, a gland needed to develop the babies' immune system. "AIDS Rates" Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/25/96) Vol. 45, No. 42, P. 926 Among U.S. metropolitan areas, New York City had the highest number of AIDS cases per 100,000 people for the reporting period of July 1995 to June 1996, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The city's AIDS rate was 132 per 100,000, followed by Miami, with 117.3; Jersey City, N.J., with 115.2; San Francisco, with 109.8; and Fort Lauderdale, with 86.7. The AIDS rate for the city of Washington, D.C., was 188.5 per 100,000, though the level for the D.C. metropolitan area was 45.8. By state, New York also led in AIDS cases for the period, with 73.1 per 100,000 people, followed by New Jersey with 50.3, Connecticut with 46.8, Maryland with 45.5, and Delaware with 44.6. "Court: ADA Doesn't Apply to Ex-Workers" Crain's Detroit Business (10/21/96) Vol. 12, No. 43, P. 28; Cowans, Deborah In a decision stemming from a lawsuit brought by the estate of a Hardee's employee who died of AIDS, a U.S. appellate court has ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to former employees. Timothy Bourgeois was working at a Hardee's restaurant owned by Garner Food Services (GFS) when he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1991. He was covered by GFS' group health insurance plan, which included a maximum lifetime benefit of $1 million. Bourgeois left the company after his diagnosis, but elected to continue his health-care coverage. In Oct. 1991, however, the GFS plan was changed to limit AIDS-related coverage to $10,000 a year, with a lifetime cap of $40,000. Bourgeois died in 1992, after incurring about $90,000 in health care claims beyond the company-imposed limit. A discrimination case brought by August Gonzales, administrator of Bourgeois' estate, was dismissed by a U.S. District Court in Atlanta. GFS and Gonzales agreed that AIDS is a disability recognized by the ADA, but the definition of "employee" was disputed. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta agreed with GFS that former employees are not covered by the act.